Lady Night: The Story of Kathy Ahn
by tsheen715
Summary: "You told me I could be whatever I wanted to be. I told myself that I could be great." This is the birth of Lady Night, Gotham's newest vigilante.
1. Chapter 1

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine!**

_A note for all my readers: I hit a wall. Yeah. I did. I created a marysue, and I need to tone that down. With the help of my buddy Skytail, I decided to go in a slightly different direction, so I'm going to alter the story a little, which will mean longer chapters and a more developed plot (at least I hope). It's for the best because now I have a really banging story in mind. I hope I don't offend or irritate anyone by doing this, but if I did…I'm sorry! You can pm me and yell at me all you want, but I found that I was losing motivation to write with the more problems I found in my plot and characters. I hope you like the new version of this story._

_*** Original author's note***Well, I've been really into Batman lately, and this all started when I found out that there was an Asian batgirl. Moreover, the girl kicks ass! Now you see, I've always wanted to see an Asian lead in an AMERICAN comic book, but not just any Asian… a Korean Asian. Yes, I am Korean, and I have pride. This is what led to the birth of Kathy Ahn. Now, you see… Tim Drake is my favorite robin, so yeah, you know where this is going being Asian and all, my parents don't' like me to read comics, I sneak some, but still I'm not exactly 100% on all my information—I get everything from Google my friends. This is why if you don't hate me for going against Tim/Stephanie or Tim/Tam, I'd love for you all to read and offer me any advice, updates to the batman story, or reviews. Especially if you want to describe the different characters' personalities ;) Wow this is long… hmmm. ENJOY! And THANKS! _

Chapter 1: Cruel Fate

"Mama it's not fair!" wailed the young girl as her brother began to take his things out of the car.

"Yes it is. I'm older," the young boy said in a nonchalant tone.

The girl was flabbergasted. She hated it when he used his age against her, and she knew that he knew it. "You butt."

"Kathy!" her mother scolded, but then she heard a light chuckle from her husband.

"John… doesn't encourage her," she warned.

The man continued to quietly laugh to himself, which only confused the two children. Why was he laughing?

"I-I'm sorry, but our little girl is so cute. Butt. Where would she learn that from?"

The mother let out a sigh, but she couldn't conceal her smile. "Alright. Alright. Daniel go inside now, we need to get home before the snow gets any heavier."

"Kay mom," the boy replied; he gave his mother a kiss, his father a hug, and he made sure to stick out his tongue at his sister, which she did right back.

After the young boy entered the house, everyone boarded the car again, but Kathy was still upset.

"Why does Daniel get to go play, but I can't?"

John chuckled again, "Gee, Sylvia, why can't our little girl go with her brother?"

"Maybe because she's too young to be having sleepovers, or maybe it's because it's at a boy's house," she answered, clearly amused.

John gasped dramatically. "That must be it!" his voice then got serious. "Kathy, I will never let you sleep over a boy's house. Never."

Sylvia couldn't contain her laughter. "She's 6, darling."

"Better stay that way. No boys are touching my baby girl."

Kathy was confused, "Why would a boy touch me?" John's mouth fell slightly agape. He definitely wasn't expecting that question. Sylvia made sure to hit his arm extra hard. "You see? This is what happens when you talk like that. You always get carried away when it comes to 'your baby girl'."

"That's because she _is _my baby girl." He mumbled under his breath. The woman rolled her eyes.

"Men," Sylvia said, clearly defeated.

"Sweetie, why do you want to go with Daniel so badly? You can play with us."

Kathy looked up at her father. "You and mommy are always busy, but Daniel is always home. He knows what I like to play."

"You could teach us," her father offered.

Kathy nodded. She had wanted to go with her brother, but her parents were trying so hard to cheer her up. She didn't want them to think she was unhappy with them, so she tried to show them that she didn't care about not going with Daniel; even if it was a lie. Sadly, most 6-year-olds are terrible actresses.

"John, why don't you pull over so I can sit beside Kathy." Kathy perked up a little. "Would you like that honey? We could play a game on our way home."

The young girl nodded and enthusiastically shouted, "Yes!"

Kathy's father smiled and started to pull his car off of the road, but he suddenly lost control when he went over a patch of ice. It all happened too quickly for anyone to do anything. The car was spinning towards a tree, and none of them could stop it.

The last thing Kathy heard was her mother screaming her father's name. Then it all went black.

When Kathy woke up she was in a hospital bed. She wasn't wearing her clothes anymore, just a scratchy hospital robe. Luckily, she still had on the locket that her mother had given to her. If she had lost that her mother would have definitely yelled at her.

The small girl tried to step out of bed, but she realized that her legs weren't quite accustomed to walking anymore. 'What happened?' she wondered. She hobbled over to a chair and dragged it into the bathroom so she could use it to boost herself up enough to see into the mirror. What she saw shocked her.

She had small cuts and bruises all over her face, but what really caught her attention was the large cut she had that started at the base of her lower jaw and extended out about an inch and a half, until it was right at the side of her chin.

"Cool." Kathy stood there admiring the cut on her face, and counting the number of stitches. She got to about the number five when her brother came in.

"Kathy? Kathy!"

"Yeah? What is it Daniel?" Daniel ran into the bathroom to see his sister looking at herself in the mirror.

"Kathy…" the little girl looked up to see that her brother had started to cry.

"Daniel?" slowly, she started to get off of the chair. "Daniel, why are you crying?"

The boy pulled his sister into a big hug. "Are you okay?"

Kathy was quite confused. "Uh…Yeah? I mean I have some boo boos, but I think I'm okay. Why? What happened to me?"

Daniel looked at his sister. 'She doesn't remember the accident,' he thought to himself.

"Kathy," he tried to say as warmly as possible, "You were in a car accident with mom and dad."

Kathy raised an eyebrow. "No we weren't."

Daniel paused before asking, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Mommy picking us up from school, but Daddy wasn't even there."

Daniel sighed. "Kathy, that was over nine hours ago." Kathy began to go through the numbers in her head and realized that it was around midnight.

"Are you telling me the truth?" Daniel nodded. "So we were in a car accident." Daniel nodded again, and that was when realization hit the young girl.

Kathy put a hand over her mouth. "Where are they? Where are mommy and daddy?" Kathy felt herself getting anxious.

Daniel reflected upon his words before speaking. "Dad hasn't woken up from his surgery, but mom…" the boy began to feel fresh tears in his eyes. "Oh god, Kat, mom's gone."

The words hit the girl hard. "Gone? No. No! She's not! She can't be. You're lying to me! You're lying…" Kathy fell to her knees and began to sob while her brother rocked her in his arms.

"I know Kat…I know," he murmured into her hair.

"Why can't I remember? Oh, gosh…what will we do? What will we do without her?"

Daniel shook his head. "I-I can't answer that…" Daniel trailed off.

Kathy looked up at her brother. "And daddy?"

"He should be awake soon. He's okay. M-mom got the worst of it."

Kathy nodded and looked at her brother pleadingly. He knew what she wanted. The boy took the girl's hand and led her to their father's room, but they were surprised that someone was already in there. The two of them stood outside of the door attentively listening to the conversation going on between their father and his doctor.

"What did you just say?" asked John.

"I'm sorry sir, but your wife did not make it through the accident. She had massive amounts of internal bleeding…we tried our best, but it was too late."

The man stayed in silence for a moment. "And my little girl?" he asked.

"She had a few minor cuts and bruises, and she seems to have hit her head, but she is in rather good condition."

Again the man nodded. He was slightly relieved, but he still felt a growing hole in his heart. "God, Sylvia, I'm so sorry. I-I'm so…" he couldn't finish his sentence because his tears were now freely falling from his face, and he couldn't manage to speak.

"I shall leave you to your privacy, sir," said the doctor before exiting the room.

Kathy poked her head into the room and saw that her father had his head in his hands. She quietly walked towards her father, and gingerly put a hand upon his leg.

"Daddy?" the man looked up. For a moment he assessed her face, her bruises and the cut she had along her jaw, he had done this to her, but he thanked the lord that he hadn't lost her too. The man immediately reached out to the small girl and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm so glad you're safe," he whispered into her ear. He looked up to see his son was also in the room. The man extended his hand, and the boy took it.

"I'm sorry guys. I'm sorry about your mother. I'm sorry, so, so, sorry."

Kathy looked up at her father and kissed him on the cheek.

"We'll be okay," she said with her bravest face. "I know we will." However, as previously stated, 6-year-olds are terrible actresses.

_I hope this is a better alternative to the direction of the first story. Well, enjoy! _

_p.s. don't be too upset with me _


	2. Chapter 2

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine!**

_Yup yup, so I got some nice feedback for chapter 1, so I'm liking how this is going haha… still working on the rest of the story, but I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going. Again, like to thank Skytail, my two best friends, and __Quegalfreshbreath (you're so nice!). Sorry it took so long to update, I had a crap load of testing this week…well, hope you all enjoy._

Chapter 2: 

The morning of the funeral service, Kathy woke up in her father's arms. She could tell that her eyes were swollen, and as expected, she could see that so were his. The night before she had gone into her father's room because she couldn't stop crying, but she wasn't surprised that she found him with the same dilemma. The small girl had tentatively crawled into her father's arms and the two of them had cried together until they both had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

Kathy looked up at the clock on the wall and saw that it was seven on the dot. She knew that they all had to prepare for the service, but she really didn't want to go because going to the service would be accepting her mother's death. Against her better judgment, Kathy gingerly placed her small had upon her father's cheek before whispering, "Daddy, we have to get ready."

John opened his eyes, yawned, and gave his daughter a sad smile. "I won't ever be ready."

Kathy nodded. "Me neither, but we have to do it. For momma."

John nodded in agreement. "For momma," he concluded.

That day was one of the longest days the Ahn family had had up to that point. The memorial service itself was quite somber, as most funerals are, and many people were very upset. Gotham had lost one of its most cherished citizens. A mother, a friend, an advocate for the poor and needy, Sylvia Ahn was an angel on Earth, and the entire city could feel its loss. The entire city, it seemed, came to pay their respects.

Kathy found that being in a place full of sad and crying people made it hard for her to mourn the death of her mother. Anytime she shed a tear, she would see someone who was just as upset as she was, and she couldn't help but to feel that _she_ should feel the most upset. This should be the hardest for her, and she should be the only one that should be crying, not some stranger that she didn't know. It was wrong, she knew it, but Sylvia was her mother, and although people would be sad for her loss they would not have to feel it for the rest of their lives. She on the other hand, would have to live on without a mother figure in her life.

Throughout the entire ceremony, she wondered what her life would be like without her mother. She thought about all the things they did, and now wouldn't be able to do. All day people had been telling her that they were _sorry for her loss_, and this had made Kathy realize that everyone pitied her; more importantly, it was also then that she realized that she also pitied herself. Not only had she lost the most amazing in her life, she had lost the most amazing person she would ever meet.

It wasn't until they started to lower the casket into the ground that Kathy had started to cry. The entire ceremony she was like a stone statue, emotionless and silent, but when she realized that the casket was disappearing into the Earth, taking her mother with it, she broke down.

"…Dad," she whimpered. The casket sank lower.

"Dad!" she didn't realize that she had just screamed her father's name. She began to run towards the hole in the Earth; she couldn't let them put her mother away.

"Daddy! They're taking her away! Stop them! Stop them!" she felt a firm hand grip her wrist before she could get any closer. Not bothering to see who it was, she fought against the firm grip while keeping her eyes locked on the open ground. It was then that she felt that same grip pull her into a firm embrace. She didn't bother look up. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was no longer crying- she was sobbing. She could feel her entire body vibrating, and she just wanted to scream. Kathy buried her face into the large figure's body, and took note of the familiar smell—her father's smell.

"Shhhhuuuuuhhhh….I know baby, I know," her father cooed to her. He gently stroked her hair as her cries got weaker and weaker. "We'll be okay, baby. We'll be okay."

Meanwhile, the guests of the ceremony had started to feel both startled and heartbroken. They had not expected that kind of outburst during the funeral, but now their hearts were going out to the young girl. It seemed that most of the guests had been saddened by the spectacle, and many of them had now begun to cry, young Dick Grayson included.

Bruce Wayne had been a close friend of John's a few years back; however, due to their responsibilities as both a crime fighter and a father, respectively, the two of them lost contact. When Bruce had heard about the accident, however, he made sure to attend the funeral with Dick. Dick was now twelve years old, and had just recently lost his parents, so Bruce naturally tried to get Dick to stay home, but the boy insisted on joining him. Neither of them, however, expected this kind of outburst, especially not one from the only child who had managed to _not_ shed a tear.

When they first saw her run for the casket, however, they were both hit by their own memories of their pasts. The two of them had lost their parents at a young age, what was worse, was that they were both right there when it happened; however, this was the thing that linked the two of them together. They had both witnessed the deaths of their parents, and this fact tied the two of them together.

Dick immediately felt tears running down his face after seeing Kathy comforted by her father, but Bruce was able to control himself. He hardened his jaw and looked upon the pair with sadden eyes. Although he did not cry, he'd be lying if he told you he wasn't upset.

For the Ahn family, the rest of the day went by in a blur. People came to see them, left, and more came, and more left. It seemed as if the cycle wouldn't end. It wasn't until Daniel went to talk to his aunt and Bruce went up to see his friend that John came to his senses.

"Bruce?" asked John, quite surprised.

Bruce nodded and tried to give him his best smile. He held out his hand, but John pulled him into a fierce hug.

"Long time no see, Wayne." He let the man go and looked at his face. "Good to see you."

Bruce nodded. "I'm sorry it's been so long."

"I'm sorry we have to meet like this," John replied. At that moment both of the men felt a sudden pang of awkwardness. Things get quiet between the two, but it was then that Bruce saw young Kathy hiding behind her father's back.

"You're not Katherine are you?"

Kathy nodded.

"That's right; you were a baby when you two first met. Looks just like her mother doesn't she?" said John.

Bruce nodded. "An exact copy."

This made Kathy smile. She was flattered that this man had said she looked like her mother; her mother was the most beautiful person she knew, after all.

"This is Dick," Bruce added, "I adopted him a few months ago." Dick stepped out from behind Bruce and smiled, "Nice to meet you."

John nodded his head accepting the boy's introduction. "How old are you?"

"Twelve, sir."

John looked at the boy and began to chuckle. "Wayne, you're 5 years younger than me, but you always seem to top me. How is it that your kid is already older than both of mine?"

Bruce smiled. "I don't know, but I doubt that I _always_ beat you."

"True, you don't _always_ beat me…I have two things you don't" Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"Not only do I have two kids, I have an adorable baby girl." Bruce smiled and nodded acknowledging his defeat.

"Touché." he replied.

John smiled. "Kathy? Go find Daniel and introduce him to Dick. I want to talk with Mr. Wayne."

Kathy nodded and gently grabbed dick by the hand. "Let's go find my brother."

"Uhh… okay," Dick replied unsteadily.

Bruce watched the children walk away, but then he looked at his friend. Something was bothering John, he just didn't know what.

"What is it you want to ask me?" he asked.

"Bruce," John sighed. "I know I shouldn't ask this…I shouldn't bring up skeletons, but…"

"… But you want to know how long it'll take for your children to accept their mother's death."

John nodded. "Daniel is only a year older than you were, and Kathy, two years younger…god Bruce, you saw her. I don't'…I don't know what to do. One minute she seems fine, but the next she has a breakdown."

"She'll be fine, John…it just takes some time," he paused, "You never accept it, but you learn to live with it."

John kept quiet. He figured as much. "What did you do? You know, to pass the time."

'I became the Dark Knight,' Bruce replied in his head, but aloud he said, "I took up some…extracurricular activities."

"Activities? Like dance or martial arts?" It did seem like a good idea.

"Yeah, like that." Bruce replied.

John looked over at his daughter. "Okay, I'll talk to her about it."

_Sorry, this chapter has been long overdue. Man I've been so busy! With testing and homework…there aren't enough hours in the day! Well, I hope you enjoy my second chapter._

_By the way, if you wonder what Kathy looks like as a teen (High school Senior, age 17) you can check out a drawing I did of her at Deviantart. I'll post the link on my profile._

_Hope you like it _


	3. Chapter 3

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine!**

_I hope you all like the way this story is going. I'd like to thank my two best friends again because I make them read all of my chapters, and I always bombard them with a crap load of questions and Skytail of course for helping me out so much._

Chapter 3: A Life without a Mother…

After several months of mourning, John felt that the time had come when he would propose the idea of passing time with various lessons to Kathy. He hoped that this would keep her from thinking too much about her mother. The conversation, however, did not go as he planned.

"What kinds of Lessons?" Kathy asked her father with a puzzled look upon her face.

John looked at his daughter and smiled. "Whatever you want, baby; cooking, singing…I know! The piano!"

Kathy looked her father dead in the face before saying, "I want to kick butt." John wasn't expecting this. Maybe he heard wrong.

"What'd you say, honey? I don't think daddy heard you right."

Kathy didn't change her expression; she merely looked at her father with a piercing glare. "I want to make the mean boys cry." John stared at his daughter with a black face. She had "the look" the same look Sylvia would get when she wasn't going to change her mind. Kathy reminded him of Sylvia, and sometimes, it hurt.

"Wait what! What boys?" it took a while to hit him, but it eventually did, boys were saying things about his baby. She had just lost her mother; they were probably teasing her about it.

Kathy let out a frustrated sigh. "No daddy, they're not making fun of me, they're making fun of Kimmy."

"Kimmy? Kimmy, as in your cousin?"

"Duh daddy, I don't know any other people named Kimmy. They told Kimmy she was gross and made her cry, so now I'm going to make them cry. Those suckers."

John looked at his daughter. She wasn't going to let up, but he had to try. She was his little girl after all. "What about Daniel? You could ask him to go to those boys." Kathy raised an eyebrow.

"Daddy, are you telling me to tell Daniel because you don't think I can win? Or because I'm a girl?"

"No. Yes! Wait, no! Okay fine, listen Kathy, you're my baby girl and I don't want you fighting boys, girls, or anyone because I don't want to see you hurt." John felt a small bit of pride in his chest. That was a damn good answer.

"So that 'I could do whatever I want' was a lie? So you lied to me?" 'Crap,' John thought to himself.

"No baby I didn't—"

Kathy cut him off. "Then what about the' 'I could do whatever I put my mind to'? Or 'I could choose whatever lesson I want'? What about those? What were they?"

John sighed. "They were the truth, but I didn't think you'd want to do such dangerous things. I thought you'd do safe, girly things."

Kathy had an incredulous look on her face. "So now girls can't fight?" Kathy stamped her foot, and tears were now rimming her eyes. "You should just lock me away you big fat meanie head!" Kathy's eyes grew slightly. She had just "sworn" at her father. Too embarrassed to face him, she ran upstairs as fast as she could and locked herself into her room.

John merely stood where his daughter had left him. He was torn between giddiness and shock. His daughter had just called him "a big fat meanie head". It was adorable, but when he really thought about it, had she been older, she'd would have been calling him a b***h ass. This was one of those moments where John knew that he had to reprimand his child, but he didn't want to.

It wasn't until he got Madeline to make a batch of her famous chocolate chip cookies that he went upstairs to go talk to his daughter. John had a tray of warm cookies, a glass of milk, and a cup of coffee for the two of them to share, but when he reached her door, he realized his hands were full and there was no chance that he'd manage to open the door.

"I could knock," he thought before realizing that he had no hands to knock with. John walked up to the door and stared at it. Deep down, he hoped that Kathy would coincidentally open the door at that moment, but no such thing happened.

"I'll have to use my head," he concluded. John gently knocked on the door with his forehead, but no one came to the door. He decided to try again, but before his head made contact with the surface, the door swung open, and John stumbled in.

Kathy turned around to face her father. The man had run at her at full force, but she managed to dodge him. She didn't know why, it wasn't like her father had ever hit her, but she had been expecting him to hit her or something of the sort. When she saw her father charge at her, however, she started to panic. It was as if what she had feared was coming true. Kathy closed her eyes tightly, but she didn't exactly get what she had been expecting. Cookies were the last things on her mind.

It wasn't until Kathy cautiously opened her eyes and examined her father's face. He looked embarrassed, but she wasn't processing why. When she saw the tray of muddled cookie mush; she understood. Kathy had opened her bedroom door too quickly, and he had ended up falling into the floor.

The young girl tentatively walked to her father, but she managed to avoid eyes contact. Wringing her hands together and awkwardly fidgeting with her feet, Kathy managed a, "You could've said something…or you know…used your foot."

John burst out laughing. He should have used his foot—what kept him from using it was unknown to him, but now he found himself on the border of exasperation and giddiness.

Kathy cocked her head to one side. Her father was acting in a strangely good mood even though she had been so mean to him. Kathy decided this would be the best time to apologize, but when the words started to come out of her mouth, they became scrambled.

"I'm sorry…daddy. I didn't mean it—no I did, but not like that…I-I mean..."

John smiled at his daughter, who was clearly befuddled at the moment. "I understand honey. Daddy's sorry too." Kathy looked up and smiled. She felt foolish for having previously thought that her father would have done anything to her, but alas, that is the mind of a child; quick, assuming, and irrational.

"I thought about it," John began, "and I'll let you take fighting lessons—"

"Really daddy?" Kathy asked already perked up from a few moments prior. "That's great! I—"

John shook his head and interrupted his daughter's sentence. "Wait, only if you take piano lessons."

"The piano? Ewww nooo I don't want to!"

"I'm not done. This includes dance classes."

"Okay fine… That's not so bad… I love to dance! I could take hip hop classes…oh! Break-dance!"

John chuckled. "I don't think so. Ballroom, tango, classic dances…not club dances."

"What if I take a classic dance aaaaannnddd a hip hop class?"

"You won't have enough time for all of these lessons, besides, if you truly love to dance, you'll learn on your own. Personally, daddy would prefer you to avoid any dances that require your hips to gyrate."

"Gyrate?" John hadn't realized what he had just said. He looked down at his daughter, who was looking at him completely dumbfounded.

"Ask me when you're older."

Kathy smiled and nodded. "And Daniel?"

"Would you be surprised if I told you that he's taking the same classes? I had to force him into the dance classes, but otherwise, he insisted that he take the same classes with you so he could keep an eye on you."

Kathy's mouth fell slightly agape. "An eye out for me? That's so not needed!"

John smiled. "Well, you've beaten his record of hospital visits 6-1. Sorry to say this, but you are accident prone…and violent, which isn't really a good combination."

"Daddy, the first two times were from falling off the swing, the third from getting a marble in my nose, the fourth from when Daniel chased me around the house and I fell down the stairs… and Dina was totally asking for it when she stole my juice and gave it to Jayson."

John realized that she skipped the fifth; the time he got both her and her mother in that terrible car accident. John didn't dare say anything and bring up bad memories, so instead he said, "Maybe she liked him."

Kathy scoffed. "Then she should have given him her own juice."

"And where did that fight get you? A concussion, which I still don't understand."

"She was stronger than she looked, and she a giant, daddy!" Kathy replied defensively. "But I still thought I could take her!"

John shook his head. "Instead she picked you up and flung you at the corner of a table."

"Exactly."

"And now she's your best friend." Kathy nodded her head furiously.

"Mmhmmm…so the girl that stole your juice and threw you at a table is now your best friend."

"Duh daddy." said Kathy rolling her eyes. "What's so hard to understand? That was kindergarten, not rocket science."

John smiled and let out another chuckle. He loved his daughter too much for words.

_I hope you all like this story sorry it took so long to update. The end of the school year is killing me TT^TT hopefully it'll be over soon._


	4. Chapter 4

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine!**

_Sorry for any of you who have been anticipating the arrival of Tim, but I'm trying to introduce you to Kathy and her family in full no worries! The Wayne family will be making an appearance soon! Maybe even in this chapter… I don't know yet because I tend to write these notes before I write the chapter lol._

Chapter 4: Kathy's Crew

_Monday morning at Gotham Elementary…_

"Ladies! We have a problem," Kathy announced looking at her two best friends Dina and Lizbeth.

Dina scoffed in reply. "What're you whining about now, K?"

"Shut your face and listen, D," commanded Lizbeth.

Kathy smiled in gratitude. "Thanks Liz," she continued, "Daddy's letting me take fighting classes—"

"With your size you need it," interjected Dina.

"Shut up D!" the other two girls refuted simultaneously.

"Just saying."

"Well _anyways_, he's making me take piano and dance classes. Piano, I'm on my own, but not dance. Now which one of you is going to be my super-awesomely-cool-best-friend that will join me?"

The girls were silent.

Kathy sighed, "I knew this would happen. I'll get Madeline to make you guys her cookies every weekend as long as you keep taking lessons with me, and I'll get daddy to pay for the lessons so your parents won't have to."

Both Dina and Lizbeth looked at one another before turning to Kathy and saying, "Deal, but not for the free lessons…those cookies better be amazing."

Kathy smiled. "They will be."

The girls' parents simultaneously agreed that it was best for their kids to share an activity together. Lizbeth was the third child to a middle-class family of young girl had lived a rather quiet life, fooling around with various gadgets and chemistry sets. This was until she had met Kathy Ahn. Lizbeth's mother, Lana Mason had suspected that her daughter was being bullied, but whenever she asked her daughter she'd be brushed off. It wasn't until Mrs. Mason was called down to the elementary school that she realized the severity of her daughter's bullying.

Three boys, Three, were sitting side by side in the waiting room with bruises and cuts all over their faces. Across from them sat Dina Silverstone, daughter of Gotham's most prestigious play write and producer. Dina was perfectly intact, as was Lizbeth, but the small Asian girl was a different story. Kathy Ahn, heiress of Gotham Pharmaceuticals, was sitting in a chair far too large for her with a bloody nose, bruised cheek, and busted lip. It wasn't until Mr. Ahn arrived that Mrs. Mason had learned that her daughter was being picked on until Kathy decided to attack the three bullies. They pinned her down easily, but when Dina saw her friend being attacked by a group of boys she pounced. That was when Lizbeth found a tree branch and started hitting the boys with it, and when the other girls caught wind, well, it didn't go to well for the little trouble makers.

All of the boys were suspended, but this also included Dina and Kathy, being that this was their second infraction; the first being the fight that led to their friendship. Starting that afternoon, the three girls became inseparable, so inseparable that her once shy any reserved daughter was opting to taking dance classes with her two friends, and although Mr. Ahn had offered to pay for the lessons, Lana insisted that she do it herself because finally seeing her daughter open up to someone… it was priceless.

Dina was the second daughter of Alex and Mia Silverstone. Alex had first met his wife during auditions for one of his musicals, and as soon as he heard Mia's voice, he fell head over heels, and so did she. The two were married, had two children, and essentially lived their lives at the theater. As a result, Dina was always left at home with her older sister, who would in turn end up leaving the young girl home alone. This left Dina craving for attention, but she couldn't find any because of her size. She was a rather tall and bulky girl for her age and, she always looked far older than she actually was. In turn, many children would end up teasing her by saying that she was dumb and had been left back or by giving her nicknames like Dina the dinosaur.

Her constant struggle with the names and teasing led Dina to become quite aggressive and confrontational. It got to the point where no one would even try to come up to her, and although Dina acted like this was what she wanted, she really didn't. It wasn't until Kathy punched her in the face and Dina reacted by throwing her into a table that she actually made a friend that didn't care about physical appearances.

When Dina's parents had first heard about her choice to take up dance, they were overjoyed because they thought that their daughter wanted to join the theater career, and although that wasn't Dina's intention, she did not protest because she felt that this brought her and her parents closer together.

Their first series of dance classes were quite interesting. The girls and Daniel began by learning how to ballroom dance, and while Lizbeth, Daniel, and Kathy were stubbing toes, Dina was gliding across the dance floor; however, over time, Kathy essentially began to dance alone. Kathy would start off with her partner, but then ended up performing a solo dance. Kathy wasn't one to "follow", so instead she would just go off on her own spinning and gliding her way around the others. She was a free spirit on the dance floor and no one could stop her—except the teacher. Her moves were eloquent and graceful in their own way, but they did not follow the ballroom dancing guidelines.

Their instructor, Mrs. Donnelly, would have to force Kathy back with her partner; something Kathy dreaded.

"I do better on my own!" Kathy protested.

Mrs. Donnelly shook her head, "These dances need for you to be with a partner."

"I said I'd be partners with Dina or Lizbeth!"

"Only boys and girls can be grouped together, Kathy."

"Why? Who says?"

"I do. Now go dance with Johnny, and stop fooling around, or I'll be forced to call your father."

Kathy sighed and made her way over to Johnny. "Can I lead?"

Johnny wrinkled his nose. "EW…no! You're a girl. Guys have to lead!"

At this moment Dina stomped over to Kathy. "Guys don't have to do nothing, so how about you shut your face and let Kathy lead?"

Johnny immediately dropped his gaze and took Kathy's hand. The young girl turned towards her friend, gave her a wink, and took her lead. Kathy actually started to have a good time that was until; Mrs. Donnelly came over and told Johnny to lead. Kathy immediately flashed her a menacing look, but the woman only replied by making a phone sign out of her hand and acting like she was calling Kathy's father. Kathy sighed and continued to dance with Johnny.

During break time, the girls devised a way to let Kathy to lead her dances because convincing the teacher into having her swirl off on her own would have been pushing it. Lizbeth was the one who accidentally suggested that Kathy purposely stub toes with her partners, but Dina was the one that insisted that Kathy do just that. For a period of about 7 months, Kathy purposely stomped on the toes of many innocent little boys. After this point, Mrs. Donnelly gave in and found Kathy a partner that was willing to follow; her brother.

It was starting then that the three girls began their toils as dancers, against their better wishes, it was the most fun they had had up to that point, and their moments dancing would be looked back upon with light-heartedness and content. For years the three girls stuck together honing their skills as dancers; one moment they were learning the samba, the next the tango, the next ballroom, and so forth, well, at least Dina and Lizbeth were; Kathy was always doing her own thing.

_Just a heads up, I don't plan on running through Kathy's life haha. After the next chapter I'm going to jump forward to when she's older. Excited? Tell me what you think in a review or comment thanks for reading!_


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm feeling pretty good about this story, but I find myself in another struggle between marysue and Kathy…I WON'T GIVE UP THIS TIME! I can soooooo do this hope you all like so far. Get ready, next chapter Kathy will be older, wiser, but still troublesome._

CHAPTER 5: I Need This.

John was grateful that their housekeeper Madeline was a lover of the arts just like his wife had been. The elderly woman would coach and help his daughter do the activities that he wished for her to excel in. When Kathy reached an age where she was old enough to start cooking, however, it didn't go too well. John had come home later than usual that day, but he came home to fire trucks and the roaring sounds of sirens. It appeared that Kathy had tried to boil water, but ended up causing a small fire—she wouldn't be allowed back into the kitchen for a while.

It took Kathy four years to learn one cookie recipe, but after all of that time and 7 house fires, John and Madeline had agreed that Kathy would be better off doing other activities. As for her piano lessons, Kathy stopped those too. She had learned how to play for about 6 years, but she felt no love for the instrument. As a result, Kathy was allowed to quit, but John noticed that Kathy would end up playing short pieces on her mother's birthday, mother's day or any major holiday. He concluded that she played whenever she began to miss her mother.

While Kathy would have to be coaxed into cooking and forced into improving her piano skills, there were two activities that the child had a knack for. Kathy was a born artist, and she also had a talent for dancing. Like her mother, the girl had a natural sense of rhythm and color. Start a tune or stick a paintbrush in her hand, the girl could create a masterpiece with her movements on either a dance floor or canvas. However, while her dancing was original, abstract in a way, she specialized in realistic drawings and paintings. As a result, she could see a person once and be able to remember their features. She, however, was limited to realistic drawings; her cartoons were deformed, her abstract art too composed, and she could not get the hang of water colors and acrylic paints. It wasn't like she avoided theses mediums completely, but she did try to stay far away…far, far away. Just because she had a talent for art, however, didn't mean it came to her right away. Kathy would have to practice for several hours a day, and even still, she was never satisfied with her work. It took her years to be able to move on from graphite to charcoal, and pastel to oil pastels, moreover, it took her twice that time to be able to move on from drawing an apple to a vine of grapes.

Kathy was having a great time in her martial arts classes. For years she had been too small to defend herself, but the fighting styles she was studying showed her how to use her size to her advantage. Without a doubt, the girl was a slow learner, but this was because she refused to move forward without feeling satisfied with what she was doing at the moment. As a result, one move would take her anywhere from a week to a month to learn. Over a period of seven years, however, the moves became easier, and she began to incorporate her dance moves with her fighting moves- a style she called "The Kathy", and a style Daniel called, "The Sailor Moron".

"Seriously Kathy, you look stupid. Why do you have to put all this effort into spinning and tumbling when you're only trying to hit someone?"

"Shut up Daniel. Its looks cool. Besides you're jealous you can't do it."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, my goal in life is to fight like Jet Li on estrogen."

"…Estrogen?"

"It makes girls…girls. Wait, why do I have to tell you this? You're thirteen don't you know?"

"It's not exactly like I have someone around to tell me these things," Kathy immediately shut her mouth. Their mother was a topic all of them avoided.

Daniel looked up at his flustered sister. "It's okay, I started it…I'm uh…I'm going to go out."

Kathy nodded. "Be home before 10."

"Sure."

For a couple of months, Daniel had been avoiding his home. He'd pick Kathy up from her fighting class, walk her home, and then go out. Essentially, Kathy wouldn't see him again until he would come to pick her up the next day. John was the same way.

For some time, John saw that as the years passed by not only did his daughter grow more beautiful, but she also started to resemble his wife with each passing day. He had been trying to put his wife out of his mind because thinking about her brought him a great deal of grief; therefore, whenever he looked at his daughter, he would feel a heaviness in his heart. Day by day, he began to spend an increasingly large amount of time at work, but his absence was immediately noticed by his children.

While Kathy understood that her father was still coping with their mother's death, Daniel felt abandoned. His mother had not chosen to leave them, but his father had, and Daniel was often angered by this fact. It was the summer when Kathy was 13 that she decided to go away for schooling. She saw the things that were going on at home like her father's absence, her brother's late night outings and rebellious actions, and Kathy couldn't take it. She hated going home to her house because when there was no one else around, she'd have time to think about her life. Of course Madeline was around, but the woman was always so busy that she didn't want to be bothered. Moreover, she forbade Kathy from helping her with the household chores. Had Madeline known how Kathy felt when she was alone, she would have comforted the girl, but she didn't. As a result, most days Kathy spent her day up in her room.

Kathy had an overwhelming fear of darkness—no, silence because in the solitude of the quiet, she found herself facing some of her biggest worries. When she was alone in her room, she'd reflect upon the things that scared her most like the accident. She never remembered that night on her own, it was more like she'd wake up screaming because she could've sworn she heard her mother calling her name, but overtime the day came back to her. As a result, whenever she was alone she'd wonder what life would be like if her mother was around. She'd imagine going to the movies with her, eating a meal together, drawing one another, basically the things a mother and daughter would normally do together, and in the end, Kathy would find herself crying, and it wasn't until she'd play the piano that she'd relax. After years of this cycle, Kathy decided that she had to get away from home.

Kathy called her father right after she got home from her last day of 8th grade, and although he had been expecting his daughter's daily call, he didn't expect to hear this kind of request form her.

"Daddy?"

"Hey baby, you happy you've finished your last year of middle school?"

"Yeah..." Kathy replied before trailing off.

"What's wrong honey?"

"Uhh…dad? You think you can come home early today?"

John paused. He hadn't actually seen either of his children for a while. He'd leave early in the morning and come home in the dead of the night; actually, this had probably been going on for about two years. Would he be able to see his daughter after so long?

"I uhh… I can try. What's wrong?"

Kathy sighed. She knew this would be hard for her father, but she had to do it. If she didn't, she was sure she'd lose her mind.

"Let's talk later. I- I know it'll be hard for you to see umm…me and Daniel, but I really need to talk to you. It's important."

John's eyes grew wide. "No baby, no! It won't be hard… dad's just been busy with work is all—"

Kathy cut him off because she felt like she was about to cry, "Let's talk when you get home."

John had never fully realized what his constant working was doing to his children. He'd been working because his company demanded more hours from him, but he also wanted to avoid thinking about his wife; only by busying himself with his work could he avoid her memory. It wasn't until his daughter mentioned that it'd be hard for him to see her did he realize that she blamed herself for his absence, and this sent a pain through his heart. He decided at that moment to fix what he had broken, but he didn't get what he wanted.

At six sharp John's car pulled up in the driveway. He swiftly walked into the home to be greeted by his daughter and Madeline—Daniel was nowhere to be seen. Kathy led her father to the dining room table and sat across from him. For what felt like an eternity, the two just stared at one another. John had gained quite a few grey hairs, and Kathy had grown significantly. Both wanted to give the other a hug, but they were also wary of any form of affection for fear that it was too soon to show love.

Finally, Kathy began. "I want to go to boarding school."

John's mouth fell open. "You what?"

Kathy dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry dad, but I need to get away from here…I-I can't keep living like this. Sure I have D and Liz, but when I'm home, when I'm alone, I feel…I start to miss her. Dad," Kathy looked up at her father, "I need to do this."

John merely looked at his daughter's determined stare, the stare that he had received so many times before. He wanted to flat out tell her "no", tell her that he'd try harder to be around, that he'd try to be a better father, but then he thought about what she had been feeling these last couple of years. He had taken to his work to avoid the memory of his wife, and he had assumed that Kathy's lessons would have sufficed to do the same, but he realized that it wasn't Kathy's lack activities that would make her miss her mother, it was their home. He'd avoided it, but she couldn't, she couldn't run from the building that carried her mother's ghost. He wanted to say no, he really did, but he couldn't.

"I- I know why you want this, so if this is what you really want to do, I won't stop you. I'll support you all the way." Kathy smiled and looked at her father, who was now tearing, so she got up and threw her arms around his neck.

"Thank you daddy. You have no idea how much I need this."

"I think I do."

_You like? Rate and comment!_


	6. Chapter 6

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine!**

_I'm supposed to be doing my Pre-Calc review packet…clearly, I don't want to._

Chapter 6:

_Four years later…_

_Dear D,_

_ Don't you think it's about time that you wrote me back? You know, I've been thinking about what happened back then, and I guess I understand why you were so upset…why you __are__ so upset. I just wish that you could see it from my point of view… despite the fact that I had you and Liz; it was just so hard for me back then. Four years later, and I still miss you. You were a crazy spitfire (like me), and Liz was the water that would cool us down. I miss those times. Everyone here is so…Blah! Don't get me wrong, the girls here are nice, but I just don't fit in. I'm not prim and proper (as you know) and I'm not some quiet little doll. I admit…I do miss home…I just can't go back—not yet. _

_Missing you,_

_-K_

Dina finished reading the letter and pulled out the box from under her bed. Removing the lid from the large hat box, she let out a sigh before lowering the letter in to join its brethren.

"As presumptuous as ever K. Of course I see it from your point of view…I just can't accept that you left."

There were 1,325 letters in the box. One letter for every single day that had passed since Dina had stopped taking Kathy's calls. Dina had been shocked when she first heard that Kathy was leaving because she couldn't get herself to believe it. The day that Kathy left for her boarding school, Dina stayed at home thinking that Kathy was pulling some elaborate hoax for revenge against something that she had done. It wasn't until Kathy stopped showing up to school hat realization hit her, and it hit her hard.

Countless times she had been abandoned; by her mother, her father, her sister, and lastly her best friend. Dina wasn't clueless; she knew how hard it had been for Kathy. It was more than once that she walked into her friend's room to find her crying, but Dina couldn't shake the feeling that Kathy betrayed her in a way. Understanding something and accepting something were two completely different things.

When Kathy's first letter had arrived, she had ignored it, but when the second, third, and fourth came; she gave in. the first letter had been a 9 page essay apologizing and explaining why she had to leave. Dina noticed that in several places there had been smudges from tears that her friend had shed while writing the letter, but as Dina read on, those smudges became less prominent compared to the ones that she was making. By the time Dina finished the letter, the pieces of paper had turned into moist tissues. The letters following told Dina about life at Barman Prep, living in a new place, and having to wear a uniform. Despite the fact the Dina was still disappointed with Kathy; she couldn't get herself to throw away the letters. She stole one of her mother's hat boxes and made her own little storage box. Dina didn't want to write to Kathy; she wanted to see her in person, but although she would never reply to one of Kathy's letters, she would keep them until the day that Kathy would come home.

_I know…its short, but it's something. I think I'm going to do one with Daniel, John, Kathy, and Liz too. I' thinking they'll be short like this one…tell me what you think about this. I'm on break now, so hopefully the updates will come sooner, but I have writer's block so we'll have to see^^ thanks for reading everyone! Rate and review!_


	7. Chapter 7

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine!**

_I'm on summer break now, but I'll be gone for a week (staying at a college). I hope you all like this story so far!_

Chapter 6:

"Are you taking care of yourself?" Kathy asked over the phone.

Daniel sighed and shifted his position. "Yeah… I'm good."

There was a pause over the receiver. "You're slurring your words…have you been—"

"Is there any point in even finishing that question?" he cut her off.

"Daniel… it's illegal. You still have to wait two more years."

Daniel scoffed. "It's not stopping me."

"Don't be a dumb ass."

Daniel was getting annoyed. "I do not need to be scolded by my baby sister."

"Shut up, I'm right…just—just be safe. Okay?" Daniel sighed. He could hear how worried sounded over the phone, but at this point, it didn't even matter.

"Sure, sailor moon. I'll talk to you later."

"Love you."

"Yeah…me too."

He had never expected her to leave, but from the day she left, he had blamed himself. Back then, he had hoped that if he stayed out enough, if he got into enough trouble, his father would notice and start showing up again. He was wrong. Instead Kathy ended up leaving because he drove her away.

He was her big brother, so he should have been protecting her; not leaving her alone. Now that she was gone, Daniel became even more reckless in hopes that if he fucked up enough Kathy would come home. That she's give him a chance to be a better brother. Until then, well, he'd be stupid.

The world was spinning. Daniel couldn't quite remember what he had been doing up to that point. He had been drinking, he knew that, but maybe he was fooling around with some drugs. That had to be it because his head hurt way too much for it to only be caused by a few bottles of booze. He looked around the room to find that his friends were all sprawled out around the room. He then noticed that someone was nestled into his arm. Daniel peered at the girl he was holding. Dina? When did she get there? He sighed.

Daniel was fully aware that she hated his crowd…she just hung around because of him; because she loved him and always had. Since Kathy had left, they found comfort in each other, but while Daniel drifted, Dina kept her head on. She'd never partake in any of Daniel's antics, nor would she stop him from doing anything. Unless he was about to jump off of a bridge, she'd quietly observe from the side while texting Liz. Sure she'd have a beer or two, but she was smart enough to never get drunk around this crowd. Besides, the only reason she hung around was to make sure Daniel didn't kill himself.

He appreciated her efforts, without a doubt, and although he'd never admit that he had a soft spot for Dina, he would never give into his feelings. He couldn't…or at least not until his sister approved. It was so messed up. Kathy hated where she was at, and it seemed like some part of everyone's lives had been put on hold, but still Kathy wouldn't come home. She was so blind sometimes. Only seeing what was in front of her, but never looking at her surroundings. When it came to certain things, Kathy was the most selfless person he knew, but with this…she was the opposite. She always did what she thought was the quick and easy solution to fix a problem, but she never thought about the consequences. That was one thing he hated about her. He loved his sister, but god, sometimes… sometimes he didn't.

Daniel carefully moved Dina off of him. She was sleeping, and he didn't want to wake her. Taking off his jacket, he carefully placed it over her body and made his way out of the house. He'd have to walk today.

He started to cross the street, but knew he wasn't walking in a straight line, and he could feel the urge to throw up.

"Ugh…drinking's a bitch."

"DANIEL!" he heard someone shriek. It sounded like Dina. He slightly turned his head and was instantly blinded by a pair of headlights. A car was coming right at him, and he wouldn't be able to move in time. It was as if time had slowed down. In that moment, his life didn't flash before his eyes; he didn't pray to live, no, all he thought was, 'Fuck Kathy, if you're coming home…it better not be for my damn funeral.'

Then… the car hit.

_DUN DUN DUUUNNN! So major cliff hanger. Will he live? Will he die? I don't know (no really…I don't know yet) find out next chapter! I'll try to have it up by Saturday…like I said I'll be away for a week and I can't bring my baby (laptop) with me I hope you all like my story thus far!_


	8. Chapter 8

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine!**

_I'm backkk!_

Chapter 8:

He was running. At first he didn't know from what, but whatever it was from, he was scared of it. It was as if he was running on air. He could see no floor, no sky, no distinction between the ground and the atmosphere. Essentially, he was running in a black pit. Out of nowhere, he saw a small light and instinctively ran for it. Suddenly, he was running down a dark hallway, but then he ended up in a lab…one of his labs. It all looked so familiar, but he couldn't tell why. It was then that he heard voices.

"I'm sorry Dr. Allen, but I have to shut down this laboratory for reasons you are well aware of."

"Please Mr. Ahn. I'm close I can feel it. Please," the man pleaded.

"I gave you many chances…so many, in fact, that they amounted to an extra year of research, but let's face it, this study is going nowhere."

"Mr. Ahn… my daughter needs this. This is the only chance I have at saving her."

"I know. It's the reason I let this go on for so long, but the company is losing too much money, and I can't keep encouraging something that is amounting to nothing. I'm sorry Seymour, but please have your things cleared out by tomorrow."

John knew exactly which conversation he was listening to; it was the one he regretted the most. John took his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose—remembering that incident at all gave him a migraine. On cue, the room became brighter, and Dr. Allen materialized in the spot beside his desk.

John watched as the man fell to his knees and began to weep. Slowly the man reached out to a picture of his daughter and cradled her photo in his arms.

"Tracey, baby, I'm so sorry. Daddy tried, but he couldn't help you."

After a few moments, the man's shoulders ceased to shake. His eyes were red, but the tears had stopped falling from his face. It was then that John had noticed the change in his features. He was no longer heartbroken; no, he was furious.

Suddenly, Dr. Allen let out a cry of rage. He stormed over to his desk and flung all of his things to the floor, and taking a paper weight in his hands; he threw it. Unintentionally, the weight ran into a rack of test tubes, which ended up creating an explosion. Dr. Allen was immediately engulfed into the flash of light and fire.

John turned away as he heard the man's piercing cry of pain. Then the lab faded, and John, once again, found himself in the dark pit.

"Killer," a voice whispered.

"Your fault," said another.

"When will you stop?" asked a strangely familiar voice. John turned to the sound of the voice to find himself facing a mangled version of his wife; a version of her that he had seen after the accident that had killed her.

"You did this. To both of us," she hissed. "You killed us both. Who's next?" John heard a whooshing sound from behind him, and he turned to find younger versions of Daniel and Kathy.

"Will it be me?" asked Daniel.

"Or me, daddy?" asked Kathy.

He shook his head furiously.

"NO! NO! I didn't kill them…not intentionally."

Kathy cocked her head to one side. "But you did."

Daniel looked at his father dead in the eye. "And look what you'll do to us." The two children burst into flames, and their screams echoing in the dark void.

"NO!" he screamed as he tried to run to them, but he was immediately held back by something. He turned to see his wife's scarred face screaming at him, "You can't save the John. You can't save them!"

John wretched her hands from his shirt and began to run towards his children, but she called after him.

"John! John! John!" he noticed that her voice was getting deeper. "JOHN!"

John lifted his head from his desk to find himself back in his office.

"A dream?" he asked himself."

"A bad one too." John looked up to see Bruce staring at him intently from behind his desk. "You okay?" he asked.

John groaned. "Bad dream. A really bad dream."

"I could tell. You were talking in your sleep."

"What'd I say?"

Bruce looked at him. "It's not my fault. I didn't do this to you. Then you repeated Seymour and Sylvia over and over again."

John slumped back into his chair. Seymour's death had been haunting him for what felt like an eternity and Sylvia's death twice as long.

"If you don't mind my asking, isn't Seymour the Doctor that was killed in a lab explosion over a year ago? He worked for you right?"

John nodded. "I fired him the day of the accident. I was about five minutes away from the building when I felt my car rumble and saw the dark cloud of smoke come from the explosion site."

"Was he the only one in the building?"

"Yes. It was his own personal research facility; however, even if someone was in there…I wouldn't know. They found no bodies."

"None? Then isn't it possible that he got out."

"At first I thought so too. The firefighters said that it wasn't possible for his entire body to disintegrate, but now, I' not so sure. I've been having dreams…nightmares, where I watch Seymour getting engulfed into the explosion."

Bruce kept on a stoic face. "I see."

John cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, enough about me, what can I help you with?"

"It's fine John. You're a friend, and I'd like to help. Besides, I only dropped in to say hello."

John smiled. "You're a good man Bruce Wayne."

"So they say… Dinner?"

John nodded. "Sure,"

At that moment the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Is this John Ahn? Guardian of Daniel Ahn?"

"It is. May I ask why you are calling?"

"I' sorry Mr. Ahn, but your son has been in an accident."

"An accident? Is Daniel okay?"

"Sir, it's be best if you got here as soon as possible."

"I-I understand." John hung up the phone and began to storm out of his office.

"What happened?" asked Bruce who was right behind him.

John could feel tears brimming his eyes. "An accident. Daniel is in trouble."

Bruce got out his keys. "I'll drive. You shouldn't be behind the wheel when you're like this."

By the time the two men got to the hospital, Daniel had already been placed into a room.

John immediately found a doctor, and was informed about his son's situation.

"It was a hit and run. Your son only suffered minor injuries; however, it appears that his fall had quite an impact. As of now he is in a comatose state. This may be because of his elevated blood alcohol level or the angle of his fall; nevertheless, his vital signs show that he could wake up anywhere within this hour or not at all. Honestly, no one can say for sure."

John tried to remain calm. "I understand. Thank you doctor."

John made his way to his son's bed. He sat in a chair beside him and took his hand. There was a chance his son would wake up, and knowing him; he would.

"Is this my fault too?" there was no reply. John sighed and looked around the room, which was when he noticed a vase of Forget-me-nots. It wasn't likely that someone had already visited his son, which made the presence of the flowers suspicious. John approached the flowers and noticed a small card within the small petals.

_John:_

_It is always your fault. Watch out. There's only one to go._

_-SA_

John's eyes grew wide_. SA_…Seymour Allen.

"It can't be," he mumbled under his breath.

_Are you liking the story? Sorry it's been so long since my last update…I was away for a week and now I have to study for my SATs (my last chance!). I'll try to update within the week _


	9. Chapter 9

_Enjoy! And I'm sorry this is so late! My parents took away my computer until I retake my SATs TOT…why do I have it now? I'm a ninja. I also had a mental block…just saying._

Chapter 9

The gentle summer rain that was knocking on Kathy's bedroom window relaxed both her and her roommate. The two had easily fallen asleep a few hours before; however, the news of her brother's accident shook them of their peaceful dreams.

"Ugh…what time is it?" her roommate asked.

Kathy poked her head out from out of her pillows and extended her arm to grab hold of her phone. "2:56. Sorry, Lillian."

Looking at the screen, Kathy felt her heart skip a beat. It was her father, which immediately alerted her that something was wrong back home.

"Dad? What's wrong?" she asked her father through her phone.

"Daniel. He's…he's been in a car accident. I'm on my way to the hospital right now. I thought you should know, but I'm not sure if you want to co—" Kathy let the phone slip from her hand. Her brother had been in an accident and she wasn't there for him, nor would she be for several hours. She didn't know his condition, but several scenarios played out in her mind; this only brought her more strife.

"Kathy?" asked Lillian who was now in a sitting position. "Kathy, you're as white as a ghost. What happened?"

Kathy finally began to become aware of her surroundings. She immediately made a dash for her closet and ripped out her suitcase. Lillian scrambled to her side.

"Kathy!"

Kathy's shoulders jumped slightly and she immediately turned her head towards Lillian's face. Lillian could see that her eyes had tears forming around their edges and nodded. She knew this was a little too sudden for Kathy to be sharing, so immediately so she began to help her assemble her clothes. In a matter of minutes, Kathy had a small duffle bag with her necessities.

"I-I ugh…" she couldn't find the words.

Lillian nodded. "I understand. Don't worry; I'll call you over summer break."

Kathy threw her arms around her friend and forced a smile for the girl before running down into the hall and out the door. Finding transportation at that time of day was nearly impossible, but with a stroke of luck, she managed to find a cab, which immediately took her to the train station. A long train ride back to Gotham ensued.

Kathy's stomach was doing flips as she waited for the train to begin moving, but she wouldn't allow herself to cry until she saw her brother herself, she would not accept that her was hurt. She couldn't. It was then that she received another phone call from her father.

"Dad? I'm going now, but it'll be a few hours. How is Daniel?"

The other end of the phone was silent, and for a moment Kathy thought that she had lost the call; that was when she heard her father's voice.

"You need to stay where you are. Don't come home."

Kathy could hear her father's voice shaking. "Dad? No matter how bad Daniel is right now, I want to be there for him. Besides, I was supposed to come home for break anyways."

"No. Don't come home. Don't come back to Gotham…it's not safe for you. I'll arrange for you to stay in a hotel near your school."

Kathy's mouth dropped open. "You don't want me home?" For years she had been waiting for her father to tell her to come back, but this was the complete opposite of what she had wanted to hear.

"I- I… don't. I can't," he muttered in reply.

Kathy became tense.

"It's fine because I'm not going for you. I'm going for Daniel," With that she hung up, and a mere five seconds later, he phone rang again, but this time Kathy ripped out her battery and stuffed both parts into her left pocket.

She had avoided crying up to that point, but after her father's call, she couldn't hold it in anymore. For the three hour ride, Kathy cried until she found that she could cry no more, so by the time she reached the hospital, she was a mess; her eyes were red and swollen, her cheeks raw, her hair a mess, and her nose runny. She didn't care.

Kathy sprinted into the building, but ran head first into someone's chest, knocking them both down completely. She took a quick glance at the young man, who was quite handsome, and jumped to her feet, literally. Using a method that she used in her martial arts class, the kip up, Kathy rolled far enough onto her shoulders that she had a decent amount of leverage, and then kicked her legs while arching her back, thus, landing on her feet. She grabbed the young man by the hand and used a great deal of force to pull him onto his feet. Patting him on the arm she quickly apologized and ran for the front desk. The woman looked up from her computer and took notice of the tear stains on the girl's face.

Trying to put on a sweet smile for the girl, she asked, "How may I help you?"

"D-Daniel Ahn. Is he here?"

The aged woman looked at Kathy and began to click away at her computer. "Alright dear. Give me a moment so I can find his room number."

Kathy felt a hand on her shoulder. "There's no need. I'll take her." Kathy looked up at the young man and saw that it was the person that she had run into.

"Okay," the woman replied. "Here's your visitor's pass," she said as she handed Kathy a laminated sheet of paper attached to a small clip.

The young man began to walk down the hall, and Kathy followed silently.

"I'm Tim."

"Kathy."

Another awkward silence followed as the two made a turn into the next hall.

"I-I'm sorry about before…my mind was elsewhere." Kathy said w

Tim turned his gaze towards her and gave her a reassuring smile. "No need to be sorry... That move you did was quite impressive, by the way."

"Oh… um…thanks. Are you Daniel's friend?"

Tim shook his head. "I'm here with my father, your dad's friend."

"I see…"

"Kathy!" called a voice from the end of the hall. Kathy looked up and found herself staring at her father for the first time in a long time. For a moment Kathy was filled with joy she wanted to run into her father's arms and crush him in one of her deadly bear hugs; however, she immediately remembered that he had tried to keep her from coming home. That he had tried to keep her from Daniel—Daniel… In that moment, the moment that seemed to drag on for hours, Kathy had forgotten about her brother.

Mentally scolding herself, Kathy began to run in the direction of her brother's room, but before she could pass him, her father had grabbed onto her wrist, which stopped her just short of Daniel's door. Spinning her head back at her father to glare, she completely disregarded the look of worry in his face. Jerking her hand from his and walked into the room.

Her brother looked fine, a little cut up, but fine. It was then she realized that he wasn't asleep, he was a comatose.

Gradually she began to make her way towards her brother's side.

"Ya! Open your eyes," she commanded. He didn't listen.

"Open your eyes!" she said louder, but now in Korean.

Resuming English, Kathy muttered, "You idiot, I told you to be careful."

John slowly entered the room and looked at his daughter, who seemed to have matured since the last time he had seen her. "I told you not to come…"

"Why should I have listened? He's my brother! How could you ask me to stay away?"

John swore under his breath. "Gotham isn't safe. Not for you…not anymore."

Kathy flung her head towards her father so fast, it was a wonder that she didn't hurt herself. "What? What does that even mean? I haven't been home for…for months! And what do you say to me? 'Don't come home?' Dad. Whether you want me here or not, I'm staying. Whether it takes Daniel a week, a month, or a year I am staying until he wakes up."

"Kathy—" john began to protest.

"Dad! I'm not going to fight you; especially not on this."

John clenched his fists. She was giving him "the look", which meant that she wasn't going to be changing her mind anytime soon, but he knew that he had to think of a way to protect her.

"I will keep you safe," her father said to her in a voice halfway between a threat and a promise.

Kathy sighed. "I know. Just figure out a way to do that while keeping me in Gotham."

John looked at his daughter, and realized how devastated he'd be if he would lose her too. Even if it cost him his life, he had to keep her alive.

_I'M SORRY! My parents are evillll! I really wanted my baby back but they wouldn't give him to me! Yes…my laptop is a boy. The think I'm doing notes right now…tehe_


	10. Chapter 10

_I hate summer homework. Oliver Twist…nuff said. _

Chapter 10

It had been about 72 hours since Kathy had first received word of her brother's accident. It had also been 72 hours since the last time she had slept. Kathy kept telling herself that she had to be the first one Daniel saw when he awoke, but this wasn't the reason she couldn't sleep; her body wouldn't let her sleep no matter how hard she tried. She assumed it was because she always felt so on edge; always waiting for Daniel to open his eyes, always waiting for the slightest movement of the fingers or fluttering of the eyes. She just wanted to see something, something that would show her that there was someone inside of the living corpse she once knew as her brother.

Seeing him, seeing him like that, made her heart ache, for she could feel the many years of guilt that had accumulated within herself. She had chosen herself over her loved ones; she had left. Despite the fact that she knew Daniel was lonely and reaching out for her father, she left. She could hear the pain in his voice when they conversed, she knew of his struggles, yet she ignored them and pushed her feelings before Daniel's. Seeing him like that, seeing her strong brother look so weak, it brought on the full impact of her mistake.

Kathy desperately wanted some company, but received none, well almost none. Lizbeth had been away at the time of the accident, and thus was not able to visit Kathy or Daniel, but she was to return that afternoon. As for Dina, she would call Madeline and ask about Daniel's condition, but she would avoid the hospital at all costs. Of course, Madeline would stop by and deliver Kathy her meals, but she would never stay to talk because she would immediately leave to finish her errands. It made Kathy sort of lonely being in the hospital with no one she could talk to. Her father had to constantly work, so he had hired bodyguards to watch over Kathy, but they would switch every few hours with new ones; moreover, they kind of freaked her out because it was like she had two Arnold Schwarzenegger's with her at all times. The only ones who had really visited were the Wayne brothers, but that had already been over a day ago.

It was quite entertaining when the three boys came into the hospital room. Nurses were swooning, jealous men scoffing; it was quite a sight to see.

"Hello!" greeted the eldest brother, Dick. Kathy had met him many years ago, but it had been a much darker time for her, so she didn't remember him immediately. Luckily, he was very friendly and outgoing; as a result, she was able to converse with him easily.

The youngest one, Damien, was quite a refreshing presence. On the surface he seemed a little rough. He would make a few smart comments here and there and be scolded by his bothers; however, whenever Tim said anything to Damien, the two would begin to bicker in a manner that border lined sibling rivalry and war. Dick, on the other hand would gently talk to Damien, but the boy would react by feigning annoyance; however he would immediately soften his expression as soon as his brother looked away. Once, just once, Damien caught Kathy looking at him; he suddenly turned a light shade of pink and turned his head away from her with a frown. Kathy could only smile at the boy because to some extent, he reminded her of herself, Daniel, and even Dina.

At one time or another, all of them put on tough and independent façades when in truth they all craved the attention of one person or another; maybe it was the same for Damien. Kathy figured that he wanted the attention of his ever busy father, just as she and Daniel had, but then again, maybe she was wrong.

Kathy found that Tim was the calmest and most collected out of his brothers, but he also seemed very sweet and intelligent. She found it funny how there was an actual boy, not one that came out of a story or movie, that was not only handsome, but also smart and kind. Then again, all three of the brothers had distinct personalities that were endearing in their own ways.

There was no doubt in Kathy's mind that these brothers were unusually good looking, but it made her feel a little uncomfortable. She looked like a bum, so being in a room with such handsome men made her feel like she was a hobo, standing next to some kind of prince, or something of that sort. She may have not cared for that sort of thing, meaning outward appearances, a few years ago, but she was still a girl after all. Furthermore, after spending so many years in an all-girls school, this experience was a little awkward for her.

"You look a little tired," said Tim, trying to start some sort of conversation.

"Hmm?" Kathy looked at Tim and tried to process what he had said. "Oh! Yeah, I'm sorry I'm a little out of it."

"A little?" mumbled Damien, but Tim instantly shot the kid a dirty look to which Dick sighed and Kathy laughed, but not a laugh like "ha ha" more like...an explosion of laughter that nearly brought her to tears. The boys all looked from her to one another.

"Yup, she's crazy," Damien said which resulted in Tim telling the boy to shut up.

Kathy looked at the brothers and between her laughs asked, "Are all brothers like this?"

Dick, in understanding of Kathy's amusement, replied, "I doubt it. There aren't as many families as dysfunctional as ours."

Kathy's eyes saddened, which Tim noticed right away. 'Smooth Dick. Real smooth,' he thought, but Dick, too, noticed Kathy's change in emotion and tried to change the subject.

"So…uhh… this place is pretty dreary huh?"

Kathy looked at Dick and sighed. "Very."

"What do you do when you're bored?"

Kathy looked at her brother. "I read to Daniel. Yell at him for being dumb. The things a little sister would do."

"He probably can't even hear you," said Damien, but this time Dick gave him a stern look in place of Tim, which made the boy look a little guilty. "I mean, uhh, you know…he's asleep."

Kathy looked at Daniel and then at Damien, "Yeah…but I'd like to think that he can. You know, maybe he can't hear the exact words, but maybe he can hear the murmur of my voice. Hearing me read to him would be better than hearing noting at all." Kathy sighed, "It does get a little lonely though."

Tim wondered who she was referring to when she said that it got lonely.

"Hey!" Kathy suddenly exclaimed while looking at Damien, which made the boy's shoulders jump from the sudden change in mood. "How do you feel about video games?"

"What?" he asked while Kathy rummaged through her purse.

"Ah ha!" she exclaimed wiping out a Nintendo DS. "How'd you like to have a virtual dog? Maybe a cat?"

"How foolish. Those things are for children."

Tim scoffed. "You seem pretty into them at home."

Damien shot him a threatening glare. "Yeah bloody, violent games. Not dumb girl games with imaginary pets."

"Hmmm, really? Have you tried it?" She motioned for Damien to come over to her side of the bed, but the boy looked reluctant at first.

Kathy giggled. "Scared?"

Damien furrowed his brows, how dare this woman say that he would be scared of something as miniscule as a virtual game; he's taken on the most deadly assassins in the world. A game was nothing. He hurriedly stomped over to Kathy and looked at her DS screen, which had two pets, a cat and dog, roaming around back and forth.

"This is my cat, Jeeves, and my dog, Augustine." Damien raised a brow. "Jeeves and Augustine?"

"A mouthful huh?" Kathy clicked on the cat and showed Damien how to wash and play with it, so despite his initial reluctance to play the "girl game", Damien's interests had become sparked.

"Here," she said as she handed him the game. "You looked a little bored. Why don't you help me take care of my pets?"

Damien, however, would not take the game from Kathy so she took his hand with her own and placed the DS in his palm. "I know you want to play. No one can resist the charms of Jeeves." Damien looked at the games and awkwardly sat next to her and began to tap the screen of device. Kathy merely smiled and turned her head to the other two boys.

"Thirsty?" both shook their heads. Kathy turned to Damien, "You?"

Damien just kept on playing, which made Kathy smile. "Oh yeah! I have this one too." She said as she delved into her purse again.

Kathy handed Damien a small cartridge with an animated version of Batman and Robin. Damien's eyes grew wide. "Is that Batman?" he asked, which immediately made the other two brothers' interested.

"You a fan?" she asked to which Damien mumbled, "Sort of…"

"It's called _Robin the Boy Wonder_. Batman gets trapped by the Joker and Robin has to find him before the time runs out, or else, boom."

"The joker traps batman?" Damien smirked because that'd never happen in real life.

"Mmhmm, but you don't see him until the last level. In the game Harley Quinn and a bunch of henchmen try to stop you from finding Batman. You really start to hate Harley because the girl is everywhere." Damien slid the game into the device and saw a bunch of Robins pop up.

"Why are there so many? Aren't' they the same?"

"Nope. Red pants is smart and can hack into buildings and stuff the fastest. Green pants is good with his gadgets." Kathy smiled, "No pants is good at jumping around and kicking butt." This time all three of the brothers looked amused. "If you beat Harley 10 times you get the black pants robin, who pretty much kills everything for about 15 seconds."

"That's it?" Kathy nodded.

"He's strong so you only get him for a few seconds." Tim watched as the corners of Damien's mouth lifted up. 'He's getting his ego blown up,' he thought.

"Which one so you usually pick?" asked Damien.

"Me? Oh, the one in the red pants." Tim now felt his own ego growing.

"WHAT! How about the one with the scaly underwear?" asked Dick, rather enthusiastically.

"Speedos are not my thing, besides, the red outfit looks nicer," Tim noticed Dick pout slightly

Kathy looked down at the game screen. "Oh! I guess you have a thing for a guy with no pants," she said chuckling. Dick's put faded away and formed into a slight smile.

"ARG!" screamed Damien.

"Harley?"

"Why is her hammer so damn big? I'm going to bash her head in with that thing!"

After a few more minutes of chatting, the three brothers eventually decided to go, but Damien asked to stay a little longer.

"What level are you on?"

"Ten." Damien begrudgingly handed her the DS, but Kathy handed it back.

"You know, I'm never able to beat the Harley at level 20, her hammer is the size of the screen…since you're so good maybe you can kick his butt for me. When you do that, you can come visit me again so I won't be so alone."

Damien looked up at her. "Okay, but only because I want to smash Harley."

Kathy laughed remembering the young boy, but she was surprised to see him standing at the door.

"Harley died an excruciatingly painful death," he declared. "One brought on by her own weapon."

_I'm sorry if any characterization is off, but feel free to correct me on it (esp. Damien and Stephanie). I hope you guys like the story so far ;) I'm oober happy I was finally able to bring Tim in. hehe_


	11. Chapter 11

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine!**

Chapter 11

_If someone ever tells you to read __Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther__…Don't do it. Volunteer to run around the world instead. By the way…this is a warning, but this chapter has some cursing…you've been warned._

"No Way!" Tim heard someone exclaim from within Daniel's bedroom. He looked at Dick and saw him smile.

"Kid has been working on that thing since the day he got it. I bet he's loving the praise." Tim smirked. He was definitely loving it.

The two brothers walked in but were a little surprised by Kathy's appearance. The first day they had visited she had looked slightly disheveled, but it was expected. Today, on the other hand, she looked a lot worse. Now don't go thinking that she was a dirty and greasy mess, no, that's just gross. Kathy was just dreadfully tired, and it showed. She had bags under her eyes, and the boys could tell that she was on edge, running solely on caffeine, by the way that her hands would tremble when she was trying to keep them still.

"It took me weeks just to get to that level! Man, you're a Pro." Damien smiled. 'Hell yeah I am," he thought.

Kathy realized they weren't alone and quickly ushered in the other two brothers.

"Man, you guys have no idea how lonely it was getting in here," she said. "Thanks for stopping in, but…" she trailed off a little. "Uhh….sorry, Daniel's getting bathed."

Tim shook his head. "Don't worry. Besides, we came to see you," he smiled and handed her a small bag. "Bruce told us to bring you some sweets. Alfred, our butler, made them."

"Besides, Damien really wanted to stop by," Dick added.

"I could see why. The kid's a beast," Damien's smug smile grew even wider.

"Hey, you guys want something to drink? I'm going to get something to drink. Something like coffee," said Kathy at an alarmingly fast rate while pushing her hair behind her ear. Both Tim and Dick noticed the way her hands would shake as she reached for her head; they found themselves slightly worried.

"How many cups of coffee have you had today?" asked Dick rather cautiously.

"Ummm….since when? Starting at 12 in the morning…11 cups?" Tim looked at the clock. It was 1 in the afternoon.

"Kathy…" Dick began as he led her to a chair. "Why have you been drinking so much coffee?"

"Not just coffee…4 monsters and 7 Red Bulls."

Damien's cocked his head to the side. "That can't be good for anyone."

"Not true," she argued. "Red Bull gives you wings." The boys rolled their eyes. Lack of sleep had made Kathy completely lose her mind.

Kathy waved her hand at them. "It's nothing! It's just that I can't sleep no matter what I do; exercise, medicine, warm milk…nothing works. I figured if I had enough caffeine and sugar I'd eventually crash and be able to sleep."

"Okay… and when have you started this?" asked a very skeptical Tim.

"Haha…over 48 hours ago," Tim's mouth fell open.

"Holy shi_" Damien began before being interrupted by a, "KATHY!"

The boys looked up to see a wavy haired brunette standing in the doorway.

"LIZ!" Kathy screamed, running at the girl full speed. Immediately, she had the girl in a bear hug.

"Ugh, Liz your friggin boobs are in the way. It's sort of taking away from this moment."

"You smell like coffee."

"Shut up."

Kathy let her go and actually took a moment to look at the things that had blocked her hug.

"Holy crap!" sure, as a young Asian girl, Kathy was fortunate enough to have her own share of "boobage", which would really seem like nothing to most girls, but the fact that she wasn't flat chested was enough to make her appreciate what she had. Then again, her B's were nothing to a pair of double D's.

"I know."

"When…how?"

"You have been gone for a while."

"Yeah but…" Liz snapped her fingers in front of Kathy's nose.

"Can you at least try to look at my face?"

Kathy looked up at Liz's eyes for a moment, but then casually slid her gaze down again. "KATHY!"

"I'm sorry! I'm trying okay! But they're all that I see…I kind of want to touch one." Tim and Dick both shifted uncomfortably.

Liz burst out laughing. "You know, Dina said the same thing to me."

Kathy looked into Liz's eyes. "Dina?"

Liz nodded. "You see….there's something that you should know."

She took this moment to actually look into the room, but then gasped when she saw that there were people in the room, but not just any people, men.

"Kathy Ahn!" she whisper screamed.

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me you had company?"

"Huh?" Kathy turned around and waved at the boys, who awkwardly waved back. "I forgot."

"FORGOT! You've been talking about my boobs and you forgot?" Kathy nodded.

"I haven't slept in days, I'm living off of coffee and sugar, I'm on edge, and I feel like the smallest thing will set me off. Forgive me if I forgot that I had company." Kathy snapped.

"You are pissy…so I guess this is a bad time to tell you about what I did." Kathy raised a brow.

"Dina said she wouldn't come unless you were gone…so I sort of told her you wouldn't be here today." Kathy's mouth fell open. "YOU WHAT! What part of I'm a ticking time bomb do you not understand?"

"You just need to hear her out, so just hide for now."

"What? No! I'm not going to friggin hide!" Liz shoved her into a closet. "Be patient. She'll be here any second."

At that moment Dina came in. "Hey, so Daniel is with some nurses getting washed. We have to wait a few minutes," Liz nodded.

"And Kathy?" Liz shrugged but felt the closet nudge her.

"You okay?" Liz nodded.

Dina looked up and saw the three Wayne brothers in the room. "And you all are…?"

"We're uhh…ahhh," Dick stammered.

"Friends. Friends of the family," Tim interjected to which Dina nodded in approval.

Liz had been leaning against the closet door when she felt another nudge. "So, how about we call Kathy? You miss her don't you?"

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to see her face." The closet nudged Liz's back again. "I do miss her though."

Kathy slightly relaxed. "I miss the way she would get into trouble. Her lies. The way she made you feel like she'd always be there for you just so she could leave."

"Shit," mumbled Liz under her breath. At moment the closet door flung open knocking her to the floor.

"I'm a LIAR?" screamed Kathy. Damien did a face palm.

Dina's face went from surprise to anger. "You were in the stupid closet? How low can you sink?"

"How low can I sink? How low can _I_ sink? Look in the mirror you hypocrite! Do you know how many friggin letters I sent you? Do you! And you have the nerve to say I abandoned you! You abandoned me!" Dick covered Damien's ears, but his hands were immediately removed.

"No one told you to send me all those damn letters! You just wasted your time because I didn't read a single one! Besides, how is a letter going to suffice? What? Our friendship was only worth a letter to you?"

Kathy scoffed. "Yeah? And what did you do?" Dina stayed silent. "That's right. You did shit. Clearly what they say about blondes is true!"

"Are you kidding me right now? You're going to play the blonde card? Clearly, your friggin brain got sidetracked into your tits, Katherine!"

Kathy gasped. Saying "Katherine" in that tone of voice was forbidden. "It's better than being flat chested itty titties, DINASAUR!" Dina screamed and tried to tackle Kathy, who immediately took her arm and twisted it behind her back.

"You may be good at fighting girls in high school, but I've been taking fighting classes for years." Dina smirked. "Do they teach you how to fight dirty?" she then stomped on Kathy's right foot with her heel.

"Arg! You bitch!" before Kathy could attack again she felt someone pull her back. When she turned around she was surprised to see Tim. Looking up she saw Dick holding back Dina."

"I think you girls…talked enough…you guys should separate," said Dick before pulling Dina out of the room.

Liz sighed. "I'll go with her. why do you guys do this to me?" defeated, Liz trudged out after them.

Tim dragged her to a chair. "I'm going to rip her face off," said a very irritated Kathy.

Tim patted her shoulder. "Now, don't be…hasty. This is the exhaustion talking."

Damien got up from his seat and went to examine Kathy's face.

"What?" she snapped, but immediately regretted it; sighing, she touched Damien's head.

"Sorry. That wasn't meant for you…" rolling her eyes Kathy said, "it was meant for that evil, flat chested, wench."

Tim backed away a little and thought, 'Are all people this bipolar when they're tired?'

Damien looked at Kathy even closer. "Do all women fight like this? Verbally abusing one another?" Kathy grumbled and put her head in her hands. At this moment Tim forced Damien out of the room. "Go find Dick or something. You're not making her feel better."

Damien scoffed. "You will?"

"More than you. Leave." Tim immediately shut the door on the boy.

"You think I was a little harsh?" he heard from behind him.

Tim turned around and walked to Kathy before sitting down beside her. "All in good reason…"

"Ugh. I called her 'Dinasaur'", Tim smiled. "What was up with that one?"

"When we were younger, Dina was always the tall one of our grade and people would make fun of her calling her dinosaur. She hated it."

"So why'd you call her it?"

"She called me Katherine," Tim tilted his head to the side. "Don't give me that look. It's because you don't understand."

"So explain."

"It's not that she said it…it's more the way she said it. My mom used to be the only one that called me Katherine, but when I started to go to school my teachers would call me that when I was misbehaving. I don't like hearing that name in a reprimanding or angry tone. It should only be said the way my mother said it," Kathy placed her head on Tim's shoulder, "with love."

Tim couldn't help but to feel a bit awkward. They had just met, but she was already putting the moves on him. Ready to say something, Tim turned his head towards Kathy to find her fast asleep.

"I'm guessing this is you…crashed, "he chuckled. "Man… and I thought you were hitting on me," Tim sighed and carried her to the recliner in the corner of the room. 'I wonder if you're always this eccentric.' He thought to himself.

_So hoped you liked now, don't go thinking Kathy is being all weird…she's tired, and you know how snappy people can be when they're tired…I'll be honest with you though…Dina and Kathy are like this often….snappy or not. It's how they show love3 so when I mean Kathy is snappy I mean that she wouldn't have immediately gone and attacked Dina had she been fully rested, but the fight itself was inevitable hehehe._


	12. Chapter 12

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine!**

_I know, I've been gone forever, but with college applications, and my senior year…things have been a little hectic. On the bright side, I think I finally figure this story out up till now, I've been winging it, but I think I have a good idea of where I'm going now. Please rate and comment!_

CHAPTER 12: In Dreams…

Kathy slowly opened her eyes to a blank ceiling. For a moment, she couldn't remember where she was, but as the pungent antiseptic smell of the hospital room filled her nose; she remembered. Groggily, Kathy sat up from the sofa and stretched the muscles in her back. The hours she had spent asleep on the lumpy couch had already left her with a small ache in the lower part of her spine. Slowly, Kathy turned to face her brother.

"Hey Daniel."

There was no response. She walked over to her brother's side and moved a stray hair from his face. Her big brother was supposed to be the strong one, the one she looked up to, but at that moment he looked anything but.

Kathy looked closely at her brother's face. Before, he had looked so peaceful, well, as peaceful as he could possibly look, but she noticed that his features were darkening, turning…angry. Slowly, she reached her hand out to touch his face; the entire time having a voice in the back of her mind telling her, 'Holy crap. Don't do it.'

All too quickly, Daniel reached for her throat and clenched his hand around her neck. The pressure of his fingers crushing her wind-pipe slowly made her legs feel weaker and weaker. Kathy tried scratching at his hands, but it was of no use. He was too strong. She could feel her world slowly turning black, and for a split second, she lost hope. She was losing consciousness, but at that exact moment, she opened her eyes to someone else; someone none other than Tim Drake.

Air flooded back into her lungs, and for what felt like hours, Kathy was gasping for breath.

"Kathy, are you okay?" Tim asked.

Kathy looked up into his eyes, "I-I…what happened?"

"You…you must have been having a bad dream."

"A dream?" Tim nodded.

Kathy turned her head towards Daniel, and saw that he was still there—still a comatose. Too quickly, she tried to stand, which in combination with her light-headedness made her stumble. Tim quickly caught her by the shoulders.

"Watch out. You still need to catch your breath," he advised.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Kathy ran her hand through her hair. This wasn't normal. She didn't just have a nightmare, no, nightmares involved killers from horror movies. This…this wasn't a nightmare; it was worse. She dreamt that her own brother was trying to kill her; worse, she felt every detail of it. She could feel his fingers roughly pressing into the flesh in her neck, his skin under her nails as she clawed at his hands; what she had gone through, it wasn't a dream, it was real.

Tim could see that Kathy was shaking.

"Maybe you need to get out of here."

Kathy looked up at him. "But I can't leave Daniel."

"There will be people around him at all times. Besides, I don't think that this place is doing you any good."

Had Tim asked her to leave the day before, she would have flat out said no, but now, she couldn't help but to follow him along because she just couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about what had just happened.

The two made their way out of the hospital room and towards Tim's motorcycle. Kathy raised an eyebrow, "Yours?"

Tim tossed her a helmet, which she barely caught. "Problem?"

"Not at all… you just struck me as a good boy."

He scoffed. "Just get on."

With a smile, Kathy placed the helmet on her head and gently sat behind Tim. It hadn't crossed her mind that she would have to grab his waist, so after a pause, she took hold of the back of his jacket.

"You'll have to hold on tighter," he advised.

"I'm fine, you old nag." Tim rolled his eyes before accelerating the bike. Unable to conceal the scare he had just given her, Kathy let out a sound half-way in between a shriek and a cry before grabbing onto Tim's waist and pressing herself to his back as if her life depended on it, which by the way, it sort of did.

"You did that on purpose!" she screamed.

"Yeah I did," he smugly replied.

The two casually laughed as Tim sped off into the distance.

Unbeknownst to Kathy, Bruce, now Batman, Dick, and Damien, who was now dressed as Robin, had made their way to the hospital to investigate. While Dick distracted the nurses with what people called his "Dickie charm," Bruce and Damien snuck into Daniel's room to look around.

"Robin, keep watch," instructed Bruce.

"I want to help," stated Damien, but Bruce just gave him a stern look. Damien merely stuck out his bottom lip.

"Fine," said the boy as he turned away, Bruce raised the corners of his mouth slightly before getting back to work.

Using several swabs, Bruce collected a series of samples from the room, but from the looks of it, he couldn't find anything. He took a moment to scan the room, but at that moment, he found something familiar on the end table beside the bed. He approached the pot of forget-me-nots, which he distinctly remembered John disposing of. When he noticed that these flowers were in a different pot, he came to the conclusion that these were not the same flowers from before. He clipped off one of the small buds and put it away in his belt. At that moment he felt an ominous vibe, and as if on cue, Damien shouted, "Watch out!"

Bruce turned around to find Daniel about to strike him. The glazed over look in his eyes proved to Bruce that something was controlling Daniel. Bruce immediately blocked Daniel's hit, but the boy retaliated with an unusually large amount of strength, which sent Bruce stumbling towards the wall. Damien then tried to jump at Daniel, but he merely caught the boy by his leg and flung him towards the opposite wall. Immediately, he jumped from the window and began running down the street. Bruce and Damien didn't spare a thought before following after him. For several blocks, the two chased Daniel, but by the fourth block, Daniel ran into an alley, and by the time that Bruce and Damien got there, he was gone.

"Crap, what do we do now?" Damien asked.

"We protect Kathy," Bruce replied.

"Have you met her? That will not be easy,"

Meanwhile, Tim was pulling into the driveway of a diner.

"Hungry?" he asked.

Kathy laughed. "Are you asking or telling?"

Tim thought for a moment, "Both."

The two made their way towards the entrance, and took a booth in the back. For a few moments, the two looked through their menus. Kathy couldn't help but to sneak a few glances at Tim. She hadn't noticed before, but he was handsome. She noticed that he was pretty well built, had a nice face, but what really got her were his eyes. They were crystal pools of blue, and she couldn't help but to get lost in them. She just kept staring at his eyes, but then it clicked. 'if I can see his eyes looking at me…that means…ho shit,' she thought.

"Something wrong with my face?" he asked coyly.

She had to think of something smooth, something that would make her staring at him like a drooling idiot look normal, so she went for the sarcastic route. "You mean other than the fact that you're hideous?"

Tim scoffed. "Riiiight."

At that moment the waitress came and asked what they wanted to order. Kathy hadn't even thought about it; she was too busy embarrassing herself.

'Crap. Okay. Do I go for the 'I'm so skinny I eat salads all the time and exercise like a maniac' image? Or do I just eat what I want? Damn… that burger looks good…Dammit! Why do they have to put pictures of food in the menus—?'

"Kathy?" Tim cut off her train of thought.

"I uhh… ahhh screw it. I'll have a double bacon cheeseburger with a large strawberry milkshake…and whipped cream."

The waitress smiled. "It must be nice being young and being able to eat that much without gaining any weight. Enjoy it while it lasts," she said before walking away. Of course, the woman didn't say that with contempt, but Kathy couldn't help but think, 'Sure, lady, make me feel bad about wanting to eat meat.'

She leaned towards Tim and asked, "Should I have gotten a salad?"

Tim couldn't help but chuckle. "A girl with an appetite is a good thing."

"You calling me fat? Because you won't live for much longer if that's what you meant to do."

"No. I'm not calling you fat. I'm saying you're fine the way you are."

"Mmmmhmm."

Meanwhile, Bruce had taken off his Batman suit and had made his way towards John's office. As soon as John had been informed that Daniel had "gone missing," John immediately called Bruce, which he had expected John to do. Once John's secretary let him know that Bruce had arrived; he made his way towards his friend. Bruce noticed that John was looking significantly more exhausted. He had deep dark-circles under his eyes, and he gave off the vibe that he hadn't slept well in days."

"John. Is everything okay?"

"Bruce. Sit down. We have to talk. You said that Kathy was with Tim, right?" Bruce nodded.

"Okay, this may sound crazy, but I think someone is trying to kill me and my family."

"What?"

"There was a man, I… he died because of me, or I thought he had died, but now I think he wants me dead."

Bruce played dumb, "What are you talking about John. Have you been sleeping alright?"

"I can't. He haunts my dreams. Before, it was the same dream over and over, but now they're changing. He wants to kill my children because he blames me for his daughter's death. I… he wants me to experience what he did. Bruce, in my dreams, he shows me the ways he's going to kill Kathy. He tells me that one's down, and one's left. I-I can't protect her, but…"

"But?"

"But you can. Bruce, you are one of the most influential men in Gotham…you ARE Gotham. If Kathy lives with you she'll be a hell of a lot safer than when she is with me."

Bruce considered this for a moment. Having someone so close to the Batcave could be dangerous, but John was right. With all the press and paparazzi, Kathy would have people watching her at all times; keeping her away from Seymour. Besides, there was no where safer than the home of The Dark Knight.

"Please you have to do this for me. You don't have to believe me. You can think I'm crazy or whatever, but you have to protect my baby. Whatever you need... I'll give—"

"I believe you."

John's eyes looked hopeful. "You do?" Bruce nodded.

"And you? Where will you go?"

"I'm going far away. I need to be as far away as possible from her."

"Will you at least say goodbye?"

"I want to. I do, but I can't. She'd never let me go," He pulled out a letter from his desk.

"This letter will tell her that I am taking her brother to meet a doctor in another country to help treat Daniel, and that I'll return as soon as possible. For now, there isn't anything I can do about Daniel. All I can do is keep the child I have left safe. As for the hospital, I've informed them that I had Daniel transferred to another hospital without their knowledge. As far as I'm concerned, Kathy won't know that Daniel has been kidnapped by that man. She must never find out."

Bruce nodded.

"I can't… I can't thank you enough. I have to head towards the airport soon." He stood up, and shook Bruce's hand. "I'm leaving my most prized possession with you. Protect her."

"I will."

_DUM DUM DUM! That's right. They're living together. Problem? DEAL WITH IT MUAHAHAHA! Yeah that living together thing was last minute, but it seemed to fit in well…let's hope this works out well._


	13. Chapter 13

_I know. I never update this. With all honesty, I've been working on this a little at a time over the last few months, but I'm not entirely satisfied. I find that the longer you put a story down; the harder it is to pick up. I hope that this isn't too noticeable when reading. On the upside, I finally chose the university I'm going to be attending I also have to take my AP tests in two weeks. My. Life. Is. Glorious. NOT. _

Tim and Kathy had been talking for quite some time before the two of them decided that it was time to go home. It was when Kathy had excused herself to the bathroom that Tim received a phone call.

"Hello?"

"It's Bruce. Something's come up." He paused. "Just bring Kathy strait to the manor," Tim knew by his tone of voice that something was up, but he wasn't going to ask any questions as of yet. He immediately complied and waited for Kathy to come out.

When she did, the two made their way to his bike.

"Home?" she asked. Tim looked at the floor.

"Something like that." Kathy merely raised her brow before getting on behind him.

As the two rode on for a few minutes, Kathy couldn't help but to feel that the scenery wasn't what she had remembered. She, however, merely excused this as her being away from home for far too long. It wasn't until Tim started driving up a large hill leading to the extremely vast and slightly intimidating Wayne manor that Kathy realized that they hadn't been going to her home; they had been going to his.

"Why are we here?" she yelled through her helmet.

"Honestly, I don't know. Bruce just told me to bring you here," he shouted back in reply.

At that point, the two had reached the driveway to be greeted by the entire Wayne family. Tim pulled his bike to a halt, and Kathy slowly stepped off of his bike. Kathy bit her lip as she approached Bruce despite the fact that he was displaying a welcoming smile.

"Hello Kathy," said Bruce.

"Hi Mr. Wayne—"

"Bruce," he interjected.

"Oh umm sorry… Mr. Bruce," Alfred and Dick couldn't help but to smile. Meanwhile Kathy was screaming, 'HOLY SHIT HE'S HUGE! My god, I'm like a midget next to him!' in her head. "Uhh…why am I…here…?" she asked cautiously; clearly masking her awe.

Bruce's smile faded. "Maybe you should come inside. It may be the summer, but it gets cold at night." Kathy nodded and obediently made her way into the house. She couldn't help but to feel that she was going to get some very unwelcomed news. Alfred directed her to the family room, and had Kathy sit on the sofa. Bruce took a seat next to her, and she felt the cushions sink in drastically.

It was then that Bruce removed a white envelope from his jacket pocket, and handed it to Kathy. Immediately, she recognized the cursive on the front of the envelope. It was her father's.

_My Darling daughter,_

_ Although it pains me, I have no choice but to leave you in the care of Mr. Wayne, my most trusted friend. Daniel needs to be treated, which is why I'm bringing him to a friend in Seoul. He thinks that he can help him, and I'm willing to try anything at this point. I am so sorry, but remember, this is for your brother. I will be back as soon as possible. Be safe sweetie, and be careful. I don't think I'd be able to stand it if you were hurt too._

_All my love,_

_ Your Father_

Kathy looked at the piece of paper in her hand, but she couldn't do much else. Bruce put his hand on her shoulder, and Tim noticed that Bruce had place a tracker on her necklace as he did this.. "Are you okay?"

Kathy looked up and forced a smiled while taking in a deep breath. "It's not like this is something I'm not used to."

Bruce merely nodded and patted her back, "I hope that our home will be to your liking." Kathy smiled at him, but began to speak.

"I don't mean anything offensive by this…but uhhh…is there a reason that my father won't let me live on my own? I mean, I'm 17—18 in a few months—and we have a housemaid, so it's not like I'd be by myself, so why here? I haven't exactly spent time with you, ever…I'm just a little…a little confused…grateful, very grateful, but still confused."

Bruce gave her a sympathetic look. "Your father and I, well, we used to be very good friends. Our friendship goes back… almost 20 years. I trust your father greatly, as he trusts me, and this is why he naturally placed you in my care. Kathy, I know that this is going to be a difficult adjustment for you, but trust me, you'll be safe here.

_Safe. _

Mr. Wayne had just told her that she'd be _safe_ with him. Her father said that he wouldn't be able to stand it if she were _hurt_. Kathy couldn't shake the strange feeling that something was amiss. What could they be keeping her _safe_ from? What was there to _hurt _her?

There wasn't anything unusual about her father leaving her alone, but it wasn't like him to leave without personally saying good-bye; especially, with her brother in the condition that he was in. her father had always been a worrier. It wasn't like him to take Daniel ANYWHERE when he was in that coma. There was something wrong; something that no one was going to explain to her, but she knew that she had to find out.

"I understand." She had to comply with their wishes for the time being, that way she could look into her suspicions in her own time.

"We'll have your things here by tomorrow, but I hope that you can manage for today. We did, however, bring your duffle bag from the hospital. It's in your room," said Bruce.

"_My_ room?"

Alfred chuckled. "Why of course, Ms. Ahn. Where did you expect to sleep? The couch?"

Kathy smiled at him. "It didn't really cross my mind, but if it had, possibly."

"Well, I believe it's about time that I escort you to your bedroom Ms. Ahn."

She hesitated for a moment, but found reassurance in the faces of the family members, who were all giving her encouraging looks. She sighed and slowly made her way to Alfred's side. "Lead the way mister…"

"Alfred. Just Alfred."

"Mr. Alfred it is."

"As you wish Ms. _Kathy_." Kathy chuckled and then proceeded to follow Alfred to her room. Meanwhile, in the living room, the Wayne men were having a conversation.

"Aren't you worried about having a stranger living here?" asked Dick.

Bruce sighed. "Of course, but this is the best chance that we have at keeping her safe. Let's face it; she's next on Seymour's list."

"What do we do if she finds out?" asked Tim.

"We could knock her out and convince her that she dreamt it all," Damien suggested, but Tim merely rolled his eyes. Damien glared. "Watch those eyes, Drake. If you want them to stay in your head you won't keep rolling them."

Bruce cleared his throat, which immediately put an end to their bickering, and said, "We can't let her find out. We won't"

"But _if_ she does," Dick urged.

"_If_ she does, we'll deal with it then."

At that moment a scream shook the house. Instantly, the four of them made their ways upstairs. What they found, they did not expect. There she was, against the floor, being attacked by a large creature while Alfred was trying to pull it off.

"Stop it! Please! She pleaded while simultaneously laughing.

"Titus!" Damien exclaimed. The large dog immediately faced his master and trotted his way over to his side. Dick then reached out a hand and pulled Kathy to her feet.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you all…he just scared me." She crouched down and extended her hand to the large dog, who after sniffing it, went to lick her face again. "What's his name again?"

"Titus but—," said Dick before being interjected by Damien. "But we usually call him Ace."

"Ace, huh?" she held the dog's face in her hands. "Is that you name? Is that your name boy?" she asked as she scratched Ace behind the ears. In reply, he barked a "yes".

"We've had a long day. We should all rest," suggested Bruce. Kathy yawned. He was right; she was far more exhausted than she had originally thought. She rose to her feet and bade the family good-night. In a series of about 10 minutes, Kathy had changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. She was about to lay down when she had the urge to go thank Bruce on more time.

Tip-toeing out of her door, she headed to the living room. All of the Wayne men had been sitting down in the dining room like they were about to have a serious discussion, which in fact they were actually continuing, and she couldn't help but to feel like she would be interrupting. Before she could sneak away, they had sensed her presence and had turned to face her. To her surprise, all of their faces shifted from seriousness to amusement.

It was impossible for them to NOT notice her black t-shirt with a large Batman insignia across the chest and matching yellow shorts. It was also impossible for them to NOT find it funny that she was literally standing face-to-face with the man that inspired her shirt.

"I…just wanted to say good-night, again…and thank you."

Bruce nodded. "There's no need for thanks. Sleep well."

Feeling a little awkward, she made her way back to her room and plopped down on her bed. Even though she was so tired, she found her mind way too restless. For hours, she tossed and turned in the new and massive matress. She couldn't sleep, and she wasn't going to anytime soon. Kathy quietly got up from her bed, gathered her things, and made her way out of the window.

At this time, Bruce and Damien, now dressed as their alter-egos, were looking around the alleyway that Daniel had disappeared into. Dick was double-checking Daniel's hospital room to see if they had originally missed anything, which to his displeasure, they did not. Tim was looking around Mr. Ahn's office where he too, found nothing. Alfred had been watching the security cameras all night, which was how he saw Kathy sneak out of her bedroom window.

"Oh dear…" he picked up his phone and called Bruce as he made his way to the car.

"Alfred."

"Master Bruce, it appears that we have a dilemma."

"Is Kathy okay?"

"She's gone, sir."

"Gone? What happened?" he asked with a bit of urgency.

"Teenage rebellion, sir."

Bruce shook his head. "I'll have the boys look for her."

"There is no need. I can go get her."

"No, we can't have her feeling like she is being held prisoner. I put a tracker on her necklace. I can get one of the boys to go find her."

"How did you manage to put it on her?" Alfred smiled, "it was when you put your hand on her back, wasn't it? Well done master Bruce," he said, clearly amused.

Bruce felt the corners of his mouth rising. "We'll be home soon."

Bruce then called Tim and instructed him to find Kathy, who was steadily moving towards Gotham's subway system. By the time she made it to a two-story yellow home on the south side of Gotham, Tim had caught up with her.

Taking note of the time, he noted that it was well past three in the morning. Clearly, she wasn't going to enter the house through the front door. He watched as Kathy walked up to the tree that was positioned right in front of the second story window. Taking a few steps back, Kathy took a running start towards the tree that was perched in front of the house. Jumping up, she just barely missed the branch, which ended up with her falling back to her feet. Kathy looked around for another moment, and when realization hit, she smiled. Taking a couple of steps back again, Kathy ran for the tree again, but this time, she used the tree trunk as leverage by jumping off of the truck towards the branch. She grabbed onto the branch with ease and steadily pulled herself up to a standing position. Now standing on the tree, Kathy climbed a little higher before gently taking a step onto the lower roof of the house.

Tim nodded. "Not bad."

Kathy then walked across the roof before entering a window that was open on the second floor.

"Pssssst. Liiiizzzz," she whispered."

Liz slowly opened her eyes and gasped. "Kathy? How do you always get into my window? It's on the second floor."

Kathy shrugged. "I used to use a ladder that I'd hide in the bushes, but today I used a tree."

Liz sat up and said, "Someone's going to learn from you and break into my house one day."

"But it's too late…early to be using your front door."

Liz rolled her eyes and fell back into her bed, "My point exactly. Why are you here?"

Kathy nudged Liz, who immediately made room for Kathy in her bed. Kathy nuzzled her way to Liz's side. "I couldn't sleep."

Liz sighed. "Why in the world would you go from your comfortable queen-sized bed to my cramped double?"

"Well, it's a king size now."

Liz anchored herself on one shoulder and looked at Kathy.

"You guys bought a new bed?"

"Well, no. I sort of umm…"

Liz looked at her face and could see that something was bothering Kathy. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…?"

Liz scoffed. "Something is wrong. Tell me."

"I uhhh… I'm living with Bruce Wayne."

"_The_ Bruce Wayne?" Kathy nodded. Liz's mouth fell open, "Your mothering the child of one of his sons."

Kathy scoffed. "What the hell? No."

"I was just kidding, but I'm also glad that you didn't say yes," Liz joked. "Wait, then why? What about your dad?"

Kathy closed her eyes. "Gone."

"Oh no…"Liz mumbled completely serious again. "Out of the country? Do you know where he is?"

Kathy nodded. "He says he's going to Korea to get Daniel some help."

Liz put her hand on Kathy's shoulder. "Well, he left, but not because he wanted to…I mean, he did it for your brother." She sighed. "You okay?"

"I-I am…but I'm not." Kathy could feel her voice cracking and her eyes forming tears. "He left so suddenly… Liz, something is weird about this. It's just not right…I mean, think about it…of all places, why would he leave me with Bruce Wayne?" Kathy covered her face, but Liz moved her hands away.

"You can cry, you know. We're not little kids get emotional over the smallest things."

Kathy scoffed. "Yeah, we're teenagers that get emotional for several days each month."

Liz sighed. "That's gross." She grabbed Kathy's hand. "You're not alone anymore. You're home with your friends. Dina included. Besides, I rather think that being living with a billionaire, and his hot sons, isn't totally terrible."

Kathy managed to laugh a little before letting herself completely break down.

"I can't even believe that you're trying to make me laugh right now."

"It's what I do."

For several minutes, Liz held Kathy as she cried, but very soon, the two girls had fallen asleep.

Outside if the window, Tim watched on the scene. He had heard the entire conversation, and couldn't help but to feel sympathetic towards Kathy, but there was a more important matter at hand. Tim immediately called Bruce over their communication device.

"Red Robin," said Bruce, which informed Tim that Bruce was still out as Batman.

"She's asleep at a friend's house."

"Good. Start making your way back home. We'll take shifts watching her. Nightwing is on his way now."

"Tell him to go home. I'll stay."

"Is there a reason why?"

"I think it's best if I stay for tonight. Batman, I think she is a little suspicious about her new living situation."

"Then we need to be much more careful." Tim stayed silent, but he agreed. "I'll see you back in the cave." With that, Bruce ended the transmission.

After about several minutes, Tim realized that he only had a small window of time to change into his regular clothing. He cautiously ducked into the alley in between two houses and changed within the shadows.

He wondered how long Kathy would be staying when the thought that living with Kathy was going to be difficult. They would have to tip-toe around her at night, filter their conversations, and keep an eye on her at ALL times. It didn't help that she liked to sneak out when no one was looking. He didn't want to, but Tim felt the corners of his mouth rising.

"Life definitely won't be boring. Not that it ever was," he mumbled to himself.

_I hope that this chapter was enjoyable I think I'll be bringing in Barbra Gordon and Selena Kyle in my next chapter, but I'm not too sure. We'll see! _


	14. Chapter 14

***Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine!

_Hey everyone! I know, this update is LONG overdue. I am sincerely sorry. College is a lot more time consuming than I had initially anticipated…this and I had a major writing block. On top of that, this whole DCNU is confusing the hell out of me. I thought that I could incorporate the new story line into this story (which takes place before the revamp) but then they got rid of Steph, Cass, DAMIEN?! And Barbra can walk now…it's just all so ugh… and according to my tumblr Tim is like a little man-slut. I just don't even have words to express my discontent. _

_There are a lot of writers on here that have great time management—I am not one of them. Now, I have the full intention of finishing this story. I don't know how long it will take me; however, I will. To those of you patient enough to stick around, I seriously love you all; you guys are like the fruit to my loop…I can't be crunchy and delicious without you (bad pun). To those of you who aren't, I get it. I know that as a reader I hate waiting around for updates and it'd be cruel of me to tease you like that. I do have another chapter that I should be uploading within the next week. This has been a lot of rambling…well, enjoy! _

A little over an hour after the girls had fallen asleep, Kathy ended up landing face-first onto Liz's floor; that is, after her sleeping friend pushed her off of the cramped twin-sized bed. Kathy grunted a little as she put her hand to her nose, which received the worst of the fall.

"Ugh, this is going to bruise." She looked over to Liz while jokingly calling her "a demon," under her breath.

Looking out the window, she realized that the sun was rising. Kathy had no intention of falling asleep at Liz's, in reality, she had wanted to go back to the manor right away. Kathy went to Liz's desk and took a sticky note:

_Thanks for being there for me. Going to Mr. Bruce's before anyone notices I left._

_ -Kat._

_p.s. You kicked me off of your bed again. You should rethink letting me buy you a bigger one. _

Kathy jumped out of the window and started spiriting down the street and towards the subway. Tim, no long dressed as Red Robin, began to follow. He was now in civilian clothing—a black hoodie, sunglasses, and a pair of jeans. Following her onto the subway platform, Tim stood several yards away from Kathy as they waited for the next train; not that she knew that. It was then that he noticed the strange man approaching her. He looked like any other person, but the way that he carried himself was shady, almost creepy.

Tim didn't want to make any sort of scene without fully knowing what the man's intentions were; however, as the man inched himself behind Kathy's back, Tim's instincts took over and he began to make his way to her side.

Kathy was completely oblivious to the man's presence; that was, until she felt his hand grab onto a part of her body that he shouldn't have been grabbing.

"Get your hand off of my ass, you bastard," she snarled.

Tim looked around and saw that a few people were there, but none had noticed what had just happened. Without a second thought, he turned his quick steps into a full out run. In his mind, he scolded himself for not reacting sooner; however, before he could take another step, Kathy had grabbed the man's hand and flipped him onto his back.

Tim stopped dead in his tracks.

She scoffed. "I told you to take your NASTY hands off. Pervert." At that moment the distant sound of the train could be heard. Kathy flipped her hair back over her shoulder before confidently making her way towards the yellow "do not cross" line.

A little dumbfounded, Tim began to follow her that was, until, he noticed that the man had gotten up and was charging at Kathy. "You little—."

Kathy swerved around; dealing a killer kick to the man's face, which left Tim feeling even more stunned. The two of them then boarded the train in different carts, which after a five minute ride, the two ended up a good ten minute walk away from the manor. Kathy sprinted back to the house in a little under four minutes, and while she snuck back in though her window and back into her bed, Tim took an alternate route to the cave, which was where he met Bruce.

How did it all go?" he asked.

Tim, having gotten over the shock of Kathy unleashing her inner ninja, sat down on a chair across from Bruce. "She's going to be a handful. I mean, did you know that she could fight? She executed a flawless spinning hook kick on a groping creep in the subway. Not to mention the fact that sneaks out of the house and has a ridiculously short temper."

Bruce nodded. "That may partly be my fault. I recommended that her father put her into extracurricular classes a few years ago." He sighed, "It'll definitely be interesting having her under our roof."

Tim sighed. "Did you find anything on the flower yet?"

"I'm still running tests, I did, however, find out that the flower's pollen isn't pollen at all. It's made up of some sort of crystallized chemical compound, but I won't know exactly what kind until the morning. For now, all we can do is rest. It's been a long night—for all of us."

Tim smiled. "Alright, good night."

"Good night."

Kathy was looking into her mother's open casket. She was flawless, beautiful; elegant…she was not her mother. At first, yes, she had been her mother, or what she remembered of her, but her face was changing. Kathy leaned in towards the casket. The woman in the casket was no longer her mother; she was looking at herself. Kathy gasped. Turning around, she realized that she was in a church filled with her own family and friends. This wasn't her mother's funeral it was her own.

"It can't be," she whispered.

Kathy turned back towards her body. She didn't know why, but her hand was gravitating towards the corpse, but before she could touch the face, the eyes opened to reveal a piercing blood red gaze. The body latched onto Kathy's arm—it's long, talon like nails piercing their way into her skin. She turned towards her father, brother, Liz, Dina—all of them, begging, no, screaming for help. None moved.

With a husky, demon- like voice, the monster shrieked, "You're next, unless you tell me where he is!" while trying to pull Kathy into the casket. Kathy screamed, crying and fighting as hard as she could. At the end of the church aisle, stood a dark hooded figure.

"Please!" Kathy pleaded with the man.

In an instant, the man went from the end of the aisle to right beside Kathy. He leaned into her ear, "Your father, where is he? Tell me."

"What? Why? Please help me!"

"Either I kill you or him. Where is he?"

"No! What did my father ever do to you?"

The man reached for Kathy's face and grabbed her jaw. She stared into his cold eyes as he said, "You don't know, do you? You don't know that your father is a killer."

With that, the man pushed Kathy into the casket, which had suddenly become empty.

"I hope you're not scared of the dark."

Kathy helplessly watched as the casket's lid closed; taking the last bit of light with it.

Several hours had passed, and while the Wayne's were wide awake, Kathy was not. Around 8-o-clock in the morning, Alfred went into Kathy's room to wake her up, but after seeing that she was still asleep, Alfred decided to let her sleep more and went downstairs to the family dining table, where all of the Wayne men had situated themselves.

"Miss Kathy will not be joining us this morning. She insists on sleeping."

"Not surprised," mumbled Tim. "She's nocturnal."

"Hard night, Tim?" asked Dick as he slid a piece of bacon to Ace.

"Just a long one." Tim sighed, but the smirk on Dick's face made him realize the hidden implications of what he just said. "Ha. Ha," he remarked as he rolled his eyes.

"Boys," chided Alfred as Bruce cleared his throat. Damien merely looked around the faces at the table. "What? What just happened here?"

"Nothing… Bruce, did you get any results from the flowers?" asked dick, trying to change the subject.

Bruce nodded. "I found that the chemical crystals act like hallucinogens when they enter the body. What I don't understand is why Daniel reacted the way he did. I'll be running some more tests throughout the day."

She was pounding on the casket lid, but all she heard was silence. Her hands were raw, and she knew that her nails were bleeding from the incessant scratching at the coffin's lid. She couldn't see a thing, and the darkness left her with an immense amount of fear. She hated the dark, always had, but not because she was afraid of monsters or anything. No, she hated the unknown. She hated not knowing exactly what was waiting for her as she reached out her hands into the endless abyss. The darkness left her too much to herself, and it was in these moments that her feelings of helplessness crept upon her.

"Help! Please!" she screamed.

She was running out of oxygen, that much she knew, she was dizzy, nauseous, and could hear her heartbeat rising at an alarming rate.

"This is it," she thought to herself. She could feel her eyelids getting heavy, and she couldn't fight it.

A scream echoed throughout the house, which immediately sent a stampede of footsteps up to Kathy's room. Upon entering, they found Kathy curled up into a ball, crying.

"Kathy?" asked Bruce, to let her know he was coming in. her eyes shot up and she immediately began to wipe the tears from her face.

"I'm sorry. It was just a bad dream…I just had a really bad dream," she said more to herself than to Bruce.

"I probably look like an idiot…it was just so real…so so real."

Alfred steeped forward and took Kathy's hand, "I've dealt with several generations of Wayne's and their nightmares. Come, I have just what you need."

Alfred led Kathy out of the room and into the kitchen.

Dick waited for Kathy to leave the room before saying, "a nightmare seems like too much of a coincidence."

Bruce looked at Tim. "The man on the subway…"

Tim's eyes grew wide with realization. He made his way over to Kathy's clothes hamper and pulled out the jeans she had been wearing the night before. Last night he had thought that the man in the subway had been merely trying to cop-a-feel, but what if he had been only making it look like that? Using his leather riding gloves, he pulled out a single forget-me-not from her back pocket.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath.


	15. Chapter 15

Kathy let her feet hang off of the barstool situated behind the counter in the kitchen. In her hands was a warm cup of hot chocolate with exactly two large marshmallows. Kathy sighed as ran her hand through her hair. Her nightmare had been so vivid…she couldn't forget the hooded man or the demonic version of her mother. Kathy put down her cup and put her face into her hands. She had to get this terrible image out of her head, and there was only one way to do it.

"Alfred, I think I'll just go be in my room. Thank you for the hot chocolate."

Alfred smiled. "Anytime miss Ahn."

Kathy smiled before dashing off towards her room. Immediately, she went for her bag and pulled out her sketchbook and a pencil case filled with charcoal pencils, graphite sticks, colored pencils, and several other supplies. Kathy leaned her hair back and pulled her hair up into a messy bun. She then dumped her supplies out on the floor, not bothering to pay any attention to the neatness, and began to draw. She started off making a series of rough lines, but over time, she started to focus on the smaller details. She cross-hatched with her pencil to show the depth in the faces of her subjects, smudged together some lines after using a charcoal stick, used her color pencils to bring definition into her demon's dark red eyes. As the hours passed, her drawings began to take over the floor in her bedroom.

Around six, Alfred announced that dinner was ready to be served and that he'd go get Kathy, but Tim volunteered to go instead. When he walked into her room he was shocked to see Kathy's drawings spread all over the room. Tim glimpsed at several sketches. A sleeping woman, a room filled with Kathy's family and friends, a demon with red eyes, but what caught his eye was the drawing that Kathy was working on—a hooded man with gloved hands. He immediately took notice of the burn scars running down his neck and his piercing eyes. He had seen those eyes before—they were Seymour Allen's.

"Tim?"

Kathy's voice drew his attention to her, which made him look down at her. Her hair was pulled back but some of the hairs were falling out of her loose bun, she had several smudge marks all over her face, but it made her look…nice.

"Hellooooo. Timmmm?"

"Alfred says to come down for dinner."

"Oh…are you okay?"

"Yeah, you just draw really well… Are these from your…you know?"

Kathy looked down at her work. "Yeah…I couldn't get the images out of my head…this sort of helps."

"They're freaky, but really impressive."

Kathy smiled and looked down at her drawings. Drawing was one of the few things she could do and get completely lost in because it helped her feel like she was connecting with her mother. "Thanks."

Kathy went to wash off and promised to meet the family downstairs, but when she arrived only Alfred was waiting for her.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"It appears that they were all called away on business."

"Damien too?"

"I believe that this business was a result to young master Damien's shenanigans."

"I see." Kathy directed her attention to Alfred. "So what's cooking, good sir?"

Alfred led her to her chair and brought out two plates of roasted chicken, vegetables, and mashed potatoes.

"This looks amazing." She said as she looked at the food.

"Bon Appetite."

After dinner Kathy sat down in front of the television to see that there had been a break-in at Gotham National Bank, but the criminals had been apprehended. She took note of the bat-signal flashing around the back. It then struck her that her father's pharmaceutical building was visible in the background.

The hooded man's face popped into her mind.

_Your father is a killer._

She had to find out what was going on. Daniel's accident, her father leaving, and the dream had to have been connected. It could have just been a hunch—a coincidence, but she had to make sure.


	16. Chapter 16

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine! **

_Hello! I apologize for the late update...I really am. For any new readers out there: Hello! Thank you for stopping by! I'm honestly not good with updates, especially because I am so bad with time management, but I have every intention of finishing both stories that I am working on. Honestly, I would love to start new stories for X-men, Hey Arnold, Naruto... (I have varied interests haha), but I know it's not fair to start all of these things just to leave you all hanging for long periods of a time. For the time being, I'll just try to finish what I have haha. To those of you who have stuck around: THANK YOU. I know, I know, it's frustrating to wait around for me to update, but they are coming! Slowly, but surely, they are coming! I do hope you all keep sticking around because, I promise, I do try my best to not disappoint. Thanks guys:)_

Bruce and Damien were quickly chasing after a cackling green blur through the sewer systems when Bruce received a call on his communicator.

"Alfred."

"I thought I should inform you that Miss Ahn has gone out."

"Where?"

"She told me she was going to see her friend Liz, but her tracking device shows her heading towards Ahn Pharmaceuticals."

The joker shot out a weaponized jack-in-the-box at the duo, which Bruce dodged with ease, although it did slow him down a little. "Why didn't you stop her?"

"How, pray tell, would I do that, Master Bruce? Tell her that she is not, in fact, a guest here but a prisoner? Also, you should know that I am already following her. Honestly, Bruce, you think too little of me."

The Joker turned a corner and threw out another jack. "I'm going to enjoy beating your face in," said Damien, who had just barely dodged the weapon.

Bruce thought for a moment. He and Damien were clearly occupied, but Tim and Dick, who had stayed behind to deal with the civilians, may have already cleared the scene. "I'll send the boys, Alfred."

"Understood, Master Bruce."

Bruce turned on his communication line to Tim and Dick. "Status."

He heard Dick's voice first. "Just finished up. We're right behind you."

"Entering the sewers now," added Tim.

"Turn back. She's going to Ahn Pharmaceuticals. Follow her." He then turned his attention back to chasing down the joker, who he found to be more elusive and troublesome than usual-rather than try to flat out confront the duo, he proceeded to lead them deeper and deeper into the swiveling sewer system. It was then that it occurred to Bruce that this was all a distraction. Bruce paused and stopped Damien, who ran into his body with a thud. "What gives?"

"It's a diversion. We need to go back."

As the two went back upstairs, Tim and Dick were on their way to Kathy's location.

"Your girlfriend really likes getting into trouble, huh? "

Tim just rolled his eyes—not that dick would be able to see it from under his mask.

Back at Ahn Pharmaceuticals, Kathy had just reached the building and was debating on how to get in. While most of the worker would be home, there would undoubtedly be some people putting in late hours into their work. at that moment Kathy hears a series of loud "thud" sounds. As she rounded the building, she found that the security guards had all suddenly collapsed.

"Well, that's not suspicious," she muttered under her breath.

In her mind, she knew that this was one of those moments from all of those classic horror movies, where the audience knew that someone was about to get into some major trouble. She weighed her options: Going in now would either kill her...it would probably kill her... UNLESS she was the protagonist of the story. Kathy silently prayed that she was, in fact, the protagonist and wouldn't be hung by a tree like Casey Becker in the first "Scream" movie.

Kathy took in a deep breath before sticking on a pair of sunglasses and pulling her hood over her head. Before she could give it a second thought, she ran into the building and made her way to her father's office. The entire time, she could feel the adrenaline running through her blood. She wasn't afraid of getting caught by someone in the building, they were all passed out, after all. It was the fear that the red-eyed demon or the hooded man with the burned flesh would suddenly materialize in front of her and kill her that was freaking her out. She felt her legs move faster as she started to debate whether or not she should turn back, but quickly convinced herself that she'd be killed if she did. Someone wanted her in the building, and she had to face it head on.

As she ran around the familiar hallways, Kathy realized that although the hallways were familiar, they weren't as fresh in her memory as she would have liked them to be. The farther she went into the building, the more she came to the painful realization she was lost.

"Fuck."

This was it, she told herself, she was dead. the crazy demon with the red eyes was going to find her and kill her. This was her end. Kathy didn't know what made her turn around, but when she did, she could have sworn she saw her brother walk by. Part of her told her not to follow after him, he was supposed to be on the other side of the world, but a part of her urged her forward. Kathy swiftly ran in the direction that Daniel had gone in, but the hallway was empty. She stopped and looked around before she noticed him again at the end of a blocked off hallway walking towards another corridor. She took off after him, jumping and ducking under yards of yellow "CAUTION" tape before she was able to make it to the end of the opposite corridor. She was able to turn fast enough to see Daniel standing in front of the remnants of a door frame before he walked into the ruins of the room. She could see that a large part of the building had been renovated, but the many scorch marks on the walls showed that this part of the building remained mostly untouched.

The voice in the back of Kathy's head, the one that was telling her to leave, was now screaming at her. Unlike before, when she had the irrational fear she had been dropped into the middle of some scary movie franchise, her childish fears had been overcome by a real sense of danger. She was no longer getting carried away by her imagination because the feeling of imminent danger had become all but too real.

For a moment, she lingered in the doorway, but Kathy knew that there was something waiting for her in the depths of the room...she knew she had to go in. Placing one foot in front of another, Kathy made her way into the room which, she noted, looked like the remnants of some sort of lab. There were broken beakers and test tubes scattered around, pieces of furniture thrown left and right, and a thin layer of ash over any and all surfaces visible to the naked eye. From behind her, a light flickered onto what looked like a series of papers on a charred table top. Kathy looked around the seemingly empty room before walking over to the desk.

Neatly placed on the table were a series of papers, none of which were burned. These included a series of newspaper clippings and research documents. Kathy looked from one document to another taking note of certain headlines: "Tracey Allen, Senior of the Year." "Two Killed in Crash, Survivor in Critical Condition." "Ahn Pharmaceuticals Begins Study on Effects of New Drug on Comatose Patients."

The headlines pieced together a clear story, but what Kathy couldn't understand was how this information tied back to her father. In her dream, the hooded man had accused her father of being a killer, but she couldn't understand why. Kathy took the papers on the desk and put them into her jacket; maybe there were more answers in her father's office. As she turned to leave the room she saw a dark figure looming before her-it was the hooded man.

"You're real..." she gasped.

The hooded man merely looked at her with a cold gaze, his grey eyes peeking out from beneath the shade of his hood. "Where is he?" he asked.

Kathy knew he was asking about her father, but she wasn't going to give him up. "Did you leave the news papers? I don't understand. What do you want with my father?"

The man did not spare a single moment before asking, once again, where her father was. This time, more forcefully. "Where is he!" he demanded as he took a step towards her. Instinctively, Kathy took a step back.

"He's gone!" she screamed. "He took my brother and left. I don't know where, so just leave him alone!" she hoped that this much information would appease him for the time being, but she saw his eyes grow dark. He motioned his hand to the side of the room, as if summoning someone. At that moment, Daniel stepped out from the darkness. "Don't lie to me...WHERE IS HE?"

_DUM DUM DUM. Kathy knows Daniel is not in Korea-he's still in AMURICA, but where is her papa? Not even I know...or do I? AM I MAKING IT UP AS I GO? STICK AROUND AND FIND OUT._


	17. Chapter 17

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine! **

_This update is long overdue. Thank you to all of those patient enough to stick around! I hope you enjoy! Feel free to leave me your thoughts!_

"Daniel?"

Kathy couldn't believe her eyes. The person who lead her to the room wasn't an illusion. It was really her brother. Kathy took a good look at him before calling out his name once more; however, he did not reply. He was standing in front of her, she could see that, but it was as if he wasn't really there. His blank gaze was staring through her instead of at her, and this scared her. "...What did you do to him?" she asked.

The hooded man looked at her, "I don't have time for this," he waved his hand towards Daniel, "Grab her," he instructed. Daniel ran at Kathy with full force, but she was able to dodge his grasp and push him away. She tried to run for the door, but the hooded man blocked the way. Meanwhile, Daniel had regained his center of balance and turned to face her. Kathy had no way out.

At that moment, two mask figures burst through the door behind the hooded man. Before anyone could react , the man uttered a curse under his breath and dropped a smoke pellet. By the time the smoke had cleared, both the man and Daniel were gone. Kathy looked around the room and couldn't find a sign of either of them. "Daniel? Daniel!"

Kathy pushed past the two masked men and tried to run out into the hallway to look for her brother, but she was pulled back. She looked back to see that the man in the blue suit had grabbed her wrist. She glared at him, "Let go."

Nightwing looked at her through his mask. "He's gone."

Kathy shook her head. She could feel the tears coming to her eyes, but she couldn't tell if she was angry, scared, or a combination of both. "No. I can't leave him with that guy. He's dangerous."

Nightwing relaxed his grip. "We know. We'll find him."

Red Robin put his hand on her shoulder, "For now, you should go home."

"Home..." Kathy realized that she no longer knew where her "home" was anymore. She looked at the two young men in front of her; never did she think she would be in this situation. Had this happened to her before, she would have been elated. She was always amazed by these masked heroes, but now she just wanted to get away from them. Their presence only reminded her that she was no longer an ordinary teenage girl, but a victim.

"Miss?"

Kathy realized that the man in the red suit, Red Robin, had been talking to her. "I'm sorry?"

"We can take you home, if you would like." he repeated.

"Uhh..." Kathy didn't want to go back to Wayne manor. She didn't know if she could without putting everyone at risk. All she knew was that this man had victimized her family, and she was not going to sit idly by. "No, no thank you. I'll be okay. Thanks for the save."

"Hey..." Nightwing tried to find the right words. "It's best you don't go off alone...from the looks of it, he'll try to target you when you're on your own, so try your best to always be with someone. The more you're seen the better."

Kathy took note of NIghtwing's words. The more she was seen, the better... she wondered if it was more than a coincidence that her father left her under the care of Bruce Wayne-the most publicized man in Gotham. If it was, that meant that her father was not only fully aware that they were targets, but he was also fearful enough that he took precautions to keep her safe. She, however, wondered why he wouldn't have warned them? and where was her father hiding if he wasn't where he had said?

"I'm sure I'm safe for tonight, at least. I don't think he would be desperate enough to show himself twice in one night," she said as sweetly as possible. The young men looked at one another, and through their silence, they established that they would let Kathy go, but follow her quietly from behind.

"Well then," began Nightwing, "Just be safe."

Kathy nodded before saying a final goodbye and walking out.

"Do you want to go, or should I?" asked Nightwing.

Red Robin looked around the room, there were samples that had to be collected, but they also had to follow Kathy. "I went last time, it's your turn," he replied with a smirk.

Nightwing shook his head and smiled. "Hopefully she doesn't get in any more trouble."

Red Robin let out a soft chuckle. "Don't count on it. I'll catch up with you in a few."

Meanwhile, Kathy had run out of the building and was doing her best to keep out of sight. She didn't think that the two boys would let her off so easily, but after reflecting on it for a moment, she realized that they probably let her go so they could follow her. She had to make sure she stayed unseen. After a short walk, Kathy was able to catch a taxi and head downtown. It was late evening, and she knew that there would be a decent crowd out bar hopping and roaming the streets. She would be able to easily blend in and lose any followers. To her surprise, however, traffic had come to a complete stop-a common event in the area. It wasn't until she noticed a screaming crowd headed her way that she jumped out of the taxi to see what was going on. In the distance, Kathy was able to make out a hoard of people being chased by what looked like a group of police officers. Upon closer inspection, Kathy was able to notice something off about the officers; they had on these extremely wide-grinned and bulgy-eyed expressions on their faces. Meanwhile, in the background was a purple clad figure standing on the roof top of a building-the Joker.

"Call for help all you want, your officers won't be there to answer!" he mocked.

At that moment, Batman stepped forth from the shadows. Kathy wasn't able to discern what he was saying, but whatever it was, it was enough for the joker to cast aside the megaphone that he had been holding to lunge at Batman. It was then that a woman, slightly older than Kathy, tripped and fell a few yards away from her. Kathy saw that one of the poisoned officers was charging at the woman, so she ran forward to defend her. She was able to make it just in time to save the woman from being grabbed by the officer. Kathy had taken hold of one of the man's arms and twisted it behind his back.

"RUN." she commanded.

Without a moment to spare, the woman nodded and began to run off again; however, at that moment, the officer was able to wrestle his arm free from behind his back and toss Kathy onto the hood of a nearby car. Kathy winced at the pain-it would leave a mark in the morning. These men were strong, abnormally strong, but there still had to be a way to stop them. Kathy rolled off the car to see that the man was walking towards her. He swung a hand at her, but she was able to dodge it. He swung another and she dodged it again, but his movements were extremely fast. Blow-for-blow, Kathy dodged all of his hits because if one managed to make contact, she would be done for. It became increasingly apparent to Kathy that she had become quite rusty in martial arts, and this dance wouldn't go on for much longer. each swing was pushing her towards the sidewalk, but that was when she noticed a pair of handcuffs hanging from his side. She wouldn't be able to dodge this guy forever, so she had two choices: act or be killed. Kathy looked over her shoulder and noticed a street sign coming up behind her. She had to act.

The man swung his arm at her once more, but instead of moving back and dodging his swing, she ducked and lunged towards his cuffs. Miraculously, she was able to grab hold of them and tumble behind him. the officer turned to throw another punch at Kathy, but this time, she cuffed his extended hand. once she had done that, she was able to use the man's weight against him and flip him onto his back. immediately, she cuffed the free side of the handcuffs to the metal post before quickly backing away. Kathy let out a sigh of relief, before sarcastically whispering to herself, "Well, that was fun."

Kathy looked back towards where the Joker and Batman had been fighting to see a cloud of gas rapidly approaching her. for a moment, her heart stopped. Would she too be turned into one of these jokerized beings? Her question was quickly answered as she saw the poisoned officers fall one-by-one. When the gas reached her, the officer that she had been fighting reverted back to a normal state. She didn't know how, but Batman had saved the day once again.

_I will try to update as soon as I can, but for now, I hope you enjoyed!_


	18. Chapter 18

_It's finally done! I just want to say thank you to seeds123 for reading and making sure I kept working on this chapter. I know, it's slow, but I truly want to thank all of you who were patient enough to stick around and read. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, I'm currently working on it, but I know I take my time ahaha. (I don't want to write something I'll regret!) Until then, thank you all and have a happy holiday season!_

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own any of the DC characters. Only my own original characters; however, I wish they were all mine! **

Bruce had been dealing with the joker's super poison for several weeks. Here and there he would encounter these super-humans causing trouble around Gotham. Each time, these individuals would become stronger and lose a greater sense of who they were. it wasn't until he was able to collect a sample that the poison these people had been infected with had a similar chemical composition to joker's laughing gas. He was able to develop an anti-toxin, but he barely managed to release the anti-toxin in time. While he and Damien had been chasing Harley dressed as the Joker, the officers were clearing the showroom where joker's henchmen had first appeared. In that time, the officers were gassed with an altered version of his Joker poison.

After all of the trouble Kathy had been in that night, she wanted nothing more than to go home. She had half a mind to go back to Wayne manor, where she knew she would be safe or, at least, safer than she would be on her own, but something in her heart told her to go to her real home. Kathy made a majority of her way back home on foot before she was able to catch another cab. Lord knew that there was no way she would be able to find any sort of transportation anywhere close to where she had been, especially, with what had just happened between the batman and joker. Luckily, it wasn't too long of a journey back to Gotham Heights.

Kathy walked up to the gates of her house, well, her home. While her home was not as luxurious as Wayne manor, her family was part of Gotham's affluent upper crust and she had a house to match. As grand as her home's exterior looked, however, the absence of light coming from the inside created an all too familiar and distant feeling of loneliness. not having a key on her, she had no choice but to enter from the garage. opening the keypad, she punched in the numbers: 1023. Her mother's birthday. As the garage door opened, the light flickered onto her dad's Mercedes and what she assumed to be a sports car her dad had bought for Daniel-it was one of the only ways her father knew how to express affection-buying them things to play with. Kathy went upstairs to find the house cold and empty. It was no surprise. Her father was missing, her brother kidnapped, and Madeline had passed away years ago.

Kathy had many regrets due to her leaving, but none more than the fact that she selfishly left because she couldn't stand the loneliness she was feeling, a loneliness she left Madeline with. Madeline passed away a few months after Kathy went away for school, and a part of her blamed herself.

Madeline was the glue that held her family together after her mother' passing. She kept the household happy, warm, and filled with love while her father was disappearing more and more into his work. Eventually, Daniel, too, started to drift, but Kathy knew that her leaving must have been hard on Madeline. Her sudden passing was a tough blow for her and her brother. Madeline had helped raise them, after all. She was aged, in her late 60s, but her passing was unexpected considering how healthy she was. Kathy often wondered if her sudden departure had been too sudden for Madeline to handle. she wondered if the stress and loneliness was what led to her demise, but she tried not to think about it too often, little did she know, that Daniel also blamed his absence for her passing.

Her father had never been able to overcome the grief of losing his wife, and was unable to balance his family, work, and himself. She could see that this had been their down fall. She and Daniel still felt the pain of loss over their mother, but Madeline had been able to fill a fraction of the motherly love that they desired. Her passing left both of them with a bigger loss in their hearts-they had lost two mothers, and had lost their father as well. Due to guilt over his absence, John would spoil both Kathy and Daniel with gifts as a means of showing his love for them, but neither Kathy nor Daniel wanted their father's gifts. they wanted him.

Kathy entered the family room to see a portrait of their family placed above the mantle of the fireplace. it was a reminder of a happier time, a time Kathy wished she could go back to but knew never could. As she looked at the portrait, something familiar caught the side of her eye. Kathy turned her head to see her mother's all too familiar piano in the next room. Kathy ran her hand against the lid as a sense of nostalgia hit her. She recalled fond memories of her mother playing music that radiated throughout the house every evening. It was her version of a "bedtime story." After her parents put her and her brother to bed, her mother would fill the house with pleasant and relaxing sounds of music until they had fallen asleep.

While she had enrolled in a series of classes after her mother's passing, she stopped attending them when she had left Gotham. Her boarding school, however, was a huge proponent of the arts. As a result, she was able to develop her art and music skills. Kathy sat down at the piano before hesitantly playing a song her mother had played for her when she was younger.

It was almost as if her dark and cold settings suddenly started to turn warm. Kathy could feel her surroundings come to life-almost as if she was back to when she was younger. A misplacement of a finger stroke brought her back. She never was as good as her mother, an idea that gave her a strange sense of comfort and longing.

"Not bad," came a voice from behind her. Kathy jumped a bit and turned to see Dick Grayson behind her.

Kathy sighed with relief. The last thing she wanted was to see the hooded man again. "Oh, hi. Sorry. You startled me."

" I see that. " Kathy shuddered to think that playing this song had somehow drawn her brother and the man to her when she was at her most vulnerable. That thought, however, made her wonder how Dick had come to find her. Kathy turned to ask him how he had found her, but was stopped when he started to walk away from her.

Dick walked around the living room and looked at the portrait set up on the mantle. "You were a pretty lively kid." Kathy looked up at the portrait. She was around four at the time.

"We had met?" she asked.

Dick cocked one side of his mouth up. She didn't even try to protest his claim, he assumed, because even she knew that she was a handful at that age. 'Hell,' he thought, 'she still is.'

Dick didn't answer her right away, as if he was thinking about what to say. "We met...once."

Kathy tried to rattle her brain and remember when they would have met. Although the exact memory didn't come to her, she realized when they would have met. "The funeral."

Dick nodded. Although she couldn't exactly remember meeting him, it occurred to her that her mother's funeral would have had many people paying respect-Bruce Wayne and his ward included. Her mother's funeral was still a blur to her. The only thing she could really remember was her father holding her back while she was trying to keep them from burying her mother. She realized that Dick had tried to avoid the topic, a detail she was grateful for. "Why are you here?"

Dick met her eyes for the first time. Kathy saw that they were a smoldering blue, and it took her slightly aback. "There was an attack downtown. Since it was so late, we were worried you had been caught down there."

"Oh..." Kathy had sort of hoped that they wouldn't notice she was gone. "No...no...I was here...got a little homesick."

Dick smiled. He had just barely made it to her when she had cuffed the officer to the street sign, making her poorly executed lie quite amusing. He had to, however, compose himself. "Figured. We all split up to look for you, and I ended up here. First one to find you was offered a surprise from Alfred, " he chuckled. "I think I just won." Dick hoped his white lie would dissuade her from sneaking out so much, but he doubted it would last too long.

Kathy's eyes widened. They had all been looking for her. An overwhelming sense of guilt cam over her. "I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry anyone. I uhh...I'll be sure to check in with you guys next time."

"That'd be good, " Dick motioned to the door. "Let's get out of here. Everyone is probably waiting up for us."


End file.
